Researchers think that using marijuana may help sharpen the brain in the later years of life. The University of Bonn and Hebrew University found that low doses of THC, given on a regular basis, may prevent the brain from slowing down as people age.
A study conducted on mice showed that older mice displayed increased performance, according to Forbes. Young animals tested better sober, similar to human performance, while older or mature mice had difficulty with those same tasks while sober. When THC was introduced, performance increased exponentially.
In older mice and humans, stimulating the endocannabinoid system in the brain prevents it from becoming less active later in life.
Researchers said, “Together, these results reveal a profound, long-lasting improvement of cognitive performance resulting from a low dose of THC treatment in mature and old animals.”
Further exploration of THC’s impact on aging human brains is planned for later in 2017. One focus will be to include more aging participants. Universities of Bonn and Mainz’s previous research suggest that the brain’s main marijuana receptor/neural pathways relate to brain health in an aging brain. THC played a role in preventing brain degeneration while active.
Andras Bilkei-Gorzo, a co-author of the study, said, “If we can rejuvenate the brain so that everybody gets five to 10 more years without needing extra care then that is more than we could have imagined.”