Medicinal Cannabis Improves Memory in Alzheimer's Patients, Concludes UNILA Study

A study conducted by researchers from the Federal University of Latin American Integration (UNILA) concluded that medicinal cannabis can treat patients diagnosed with Alzheimer's. The research was the longest ever conducted in the world testing cannabinoids in patients with this condition.

The double-blind randomized clinical trial was conducted with 28 patients aged 60 to 80 years, for 26 weeks (about six months). The research coordinator, Francisney do Nascimento, highlights that this type of study - randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled - is the "gold standard" of clinical trials.

"In this type of research, half of the group receives the medication and the other half receives the placebo, and at the end the results are compared," detailed in UNILA's note.

The conclusion was that the group that received the full spectrum extract of cannabis (0.350 mg of THC and 0.245 mg of CBD) showed cognitive improvements, based on the results of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE).

According to Nascimento, the publication of this article is a major event. "This is the world's first clinical trial showing that cannabis improves memory in Alzheimer's patients."

"There are other studies that mainly show that it reduces agitation, reduces anxiety. But the memory test, in fact, the first article was ours," he emphasizes.

The article was published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and is part of a series of studies with medicinal cannabis from the Laboratory of Medicinal Cannabis and Psychedelic Science (LCP) of UNILA.

Potential against Alzheimer's Progression

The discovery is fundamental, as Alzheimer's is the main degenerative disease in the world, causing a significant loss of quality of life for patients and their caregivers.

Currently, there are only four medications for treatment, which do not bring significant benefits. Studies with cannabinoids, on the other hand, have been pointing to great potential to reduce progression or even promote improvements in memory.

This is because cannabinoids can reduce neuronal inflammation and oxidative stress, factors associated with Alzheimer's progression. "Studies conducted with rats in laboratories, for example, already demonstrate that THC can promote neurogenesis (formation of new neurons) in the hippocampus, the brain region responsible for memory," the researcher explains.

Safety and Next Steps of the Study

For the study's lead physician and lecturer in the Medicine course at UNILA, Elton Gomes da Silva, the research opens up a series of other possibilities. New studies are already underway at UNILA, with other combinations and dosages of the substance, for comparison of results.

Another advantage pointed out in the research is that patients treated with cannabis did not have significant adverse events, demonstrating that the drug is not only effective but also quite safe.

With information from UNILA