Marijuana's Mind-Altering Compound May Improve Memory

Marijuana's main psychoactive compound, THC, can also enhance reminiscence, in line with a brand new study in mice.

however, extra studies is needed to see whether these findings might practice to people, the researchers stated.

The researchers determined that antique mice within the have a look at skilled "a dramaticdevelopment in cognitive functions" after the animals had been given small every day doses of THC for approximately a month, said examine co-writer Andreas Zimmer, a professor of molecular psychiatry on the university of Bonn in Germany. [25 Odd Facts About Marijuana]



preceding studies in humans — in teenagers and teenagers — in addition to in young animals has cautioned that THC may additionally definitely impair cognition, however it become now not clean how the compound would possibly have an effect on the aging mind in olderindividuals.

in the new take a look at, the researchers looked at 17 young mice, which were 2 monthsvintage; 24 mature mice, which have been 1 yr old; and 29 mice that had been 18 monthsvintage, taken into consideration old for mice. The researchers implanted small pumps into theour bodies of all mice within the take a look at. In approximately 1/2 of the mice in each ageinstitution, the pumps contained a small quantity of THC that was launched into the mice'sbodies day by day for about a month. within the other 1/2 of the mice, the pumps contained acontrol substance, without THC.

The researchers then performed a few behavioral experiments to test the mice's cognitivecapabilities, inclusive of their memory and potential to examine new records. as an example, inone of the duties, the scientists positioned the mice in a pool of water with a hidden platform that allowed the rodents to get away the water as soon as they might discover it. inside themanage institution, the mature mice and the antique mice took longer to discover ways toclimb out than the younger mice.

but, each mature mice and antique mice that had been dealt with with THC discovered the taskfaster than the control mice in corresponding age companies.

In a number of the experiments, THC seemed to improve the memory within the older mice to such an volume that some factors of their memory had been as properly as the ones of youngermice. [7 Ways Marijuana

May Affect the Brain]

however, in the more youthful mice given THC, the compound seemed to worsen their overall performance at cognitive duties. This locating is in step with previous research that has proventhe adverse outcomes that THC may have on cognition in younger human beings and animals,in keeping with the have a look at, posted nowadays (may eight) within the magazine Natureremedy.

To try and determine out the ability mechanisms in the back of the findings, the researchersalso tested how the THC interacted with gene expression in a brain area referred to as the hippocampus in the mice. It turned out that administering the compound to the older mice led to a change in the ones styles, bringing them returned to a kingdom similar to the patternsvisible within the younger control mice. In assessment, administering THC to the younger micebrought about a gene expression sample that resembled that of the older control mice.

The researchers don't yet understand if THC could help to enhance reminiscence in growing oldpeople, but they may be making plans tests, Zimmer said.