Cannabis found to have anti-ageing effect on brains of mice. So can pot make you younger?

Can cannabis reduce the ageing of brain? As per new research done on mice, long-term, low-dose use of the active ingredient of cannabis has an anti-ageing effect.

The study done by Bonn University in Germany has found that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main therapeutic ingredient in cannabis, restores cognitive abilities and synapse density in old mice.

"We have now been able to show that treatment with THC has a tissue-dependent and dual effect on mTOR signaling and the metabolome," said Dr Andras Bilkei-Gorzo a researcher who conducted the study along with an international team of scientists.

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To understand what it means, it's important to know about two specific processes of the brain that affect ageing.

One is synaptic plasticity, which is the ability of the brain to change neuronal connections. Less synaptic plasticity is a sign of ageing.

The other is mTOR, or Mechanistic target of rapamycin, signalling. The mTOR signalling pathways regulate growth and metabolism in animal cells. The mTOR activity can be reduced through a low-calorie diet, intensive physical activity or pharmacological treatment.

How the study was done

Two groups of mice were used in the study,young ones around four months old, and older ones aged around 18 months.

Some mice in each age group received a daily low dose of THC across a period of 28 days, and the effects were compared to age-matched controls.

The mice treated with THC showed a boost in mTOR activity in the brain and the production of more of the proteins necessary to form new synapses between neurons.

The mTOR activity in fat tissue dropped in the same way that it does with a calorie-controlled diet: In other words, the body starts to dial down some of its production processes in ways that have previously been shown to slow down biological ageing too, said a release on the study.

"We concluded that long-term THC treatment initially has a cognition-enhancing effect by increasing energy and synaptic protein production in the brain, followed by an anti-ageing effect by decreasing mTOR activity and metabolic processes in the periphery," said Bilkei-Gorzo.

He suggested that the findings of the study could potentially pave the way for future anti-ageing treatments. "Our study suggests that a dual effect on mTOR activity and the metabolome could be the basis for an effective anti-ageing and cognition-enhancing drug."

(With inputs from agencies)