Cannabis has long been studied for its therapeutic benefits. The plant’s compounds have previously shown potential as a neuroprotectant, and new research illustrates strong evidence.
A study from the Salk Institute found that cannabinol (CBN), a mildly psychoactive cannabis compound, may go beyond just preventing some effects of aging, like cognitive decline. They found that CBN has the potential to reverse it.
The peer-reviewed study, which was published in Redox Biology, looked at the effects of CBN on age-associated cognitive decline and metabolic dysfunction using the SAMP8 mouse model of accelerated aging. The researchers found that CBN not only improved the memory of the aged mice, but also that it restored markers of brain function. Even more, cognitive impairment in older adults has been linked to mitochondrial dysfunction, and this study found that CBN also enhanced key aspects of mitochondrial function in the mice.
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Prior studies have shown that in cell culture, CBN can preserve mitochondrial membrane potential, enhancing antioxidant defenses. However, this study provides in vivo evidence of CBN’s potential to mitigate age-related cognitive decline.
“While our cell culture studies suggested that CBN might be effective in vivo, it was really exciting to actually see these beneficial effects in aging mice, which indicates that further studies with CBN are warranted,” said Pamela Maher, Ph.D., a senior author on this study, in a statement sent to GreenState.
Further findings
In the study, the researchers included three groups of SAMP8 mice: one serving as the younger control group, one as the aged control group, and one as the treatment group. The treatment group of mice all received CBN in their diet for four months. The CBN was provided by Floraworks, a cannabis supplier and research company.
While the study found that CBN improved spatial memory and learning in aged mice was most pronounced in females, they saw that CBN’s potential to reduce disinhibition, a measure of executive function impairment, was most evident in males. This finding indicates that CBN not only supports learning and memory but also promotes executive function.
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“These findings place CBN as a promising agent for mitigating age-related cognitive decline and associated metabolic disruptions, particularly in preserving mitochondrial function during aging,” wrote the study authors in the paper. “The sex-specific differences in response to CBN treatment suggest that CBN’s molecular effects may be gender-dependent, which warrants further investigation into the underlying mechanisms.”
It is too soon to draw conclusions about CBN’s impact on age-related cognitive decline in humans, but this study provides promising in vivo evidence that calls for further research.