CBD for Alzheimer's disease: research on its potential benefits
To mark World Alzheimer's Day, we have put together a post on the latest research into CBD for the treatment of this disease. This post is for information only and is not intended to prevent, diagnose or treat any disease. Consult your doctor before using CBD. Cannactiva products are not medicines.
Introduction to Alzheimer's disease and cannabis research
Alzheimer's disease is a degenerative brain disorder in which the patient develops dementia and gradually loses their memory. It is a disease whose prevalence has been increasing due to various risk factors such as stress, pollution and genetic predisposition.
Cannabidiol (CBD) is a non-psychoactive compound found in the cannabis plant. Although the use of CBD for Alzheimer's is still under debate, it can be used as an adjuvant in the treatment of this disease.
What is Alzheimer's disease?
Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative disease that affects approximately 50 million people worldwide (1). The main symptoms of Alzheimer's disease are cognitive decline, behavioural disorders and memory loss.
It develops due to alterations in the metabolism of two brain proteins, APP (amyloid precursor protein) and Tau (2). These alterations lead to the presence of small neurofibrillary tangles or intertwined fibrils inside neurons, which are formed by the aggregation of Tau, and to the build-up of amyloid plaques (senile plaques) between neurons, which result from the accumulation of beta-amyloid, a fragment of APP (3).
Studies on cannabis in Alzheimer's disease
In general, cannabinoids have shown promise in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, and they have been found to reduce the deposition of senile plaques and help with symptoms related to dementia (4).
In the laboratory, chronic use of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) with CBD (cannabidiol) reduced memory impairment in the more advanced stages of Alzheimer's disease (5). But CBD alone (without THC) has also produced favourable results.
CBD in Alzheimer's disease
How might CBD work for Alzheimer's disease?
The exact mechanism by which CBD may help in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease is not fully understood. However, some studies have shown that CBD has neuroprotective properties (6, 7) that could help delay the progression of the disease.
Cannabidiol may also reduce inflammation (8) in the brain, which is a feature of Alzheimer's disease.
In addition, it may improve symptoms of anxiety and depression (9, 10), which are common in people with this disease.
Relevant findings from research on CBD for Alzheimer's
The use of CBD to treat Alzheimer's is still being researched, but here we explain some of the most relevant scientific findings known so far:
- In a rodent study, long-term use of CBD helped improve social recognition. This means it could improve short-term memory by showing an improvement in how familiar the person with Alzheimer's is with other individuals (11).
- Also in mice, CBD prevents the expression of proteins that promote inflammation in the brain induced by the neurotoxicity of the amyloid protein involved in Alzheimer's disease (12).
- CBD administration has been linked to lower expression of genes related to Alzheimer's disease (13). This seems promising for preventing the onset of the disease in people whose relatives have had Alzheimer's.
- In cell experiments, CBD can indirectly inhibit the formation of the fibrillar tangles present in the neurons of a person with Alzheimer's (14).
It is important to note that all of these studies were carried out in cells or animals, so the use of CBD as a treatment for Alzheimer's is still considered experimental.
Use of CBD in patients with Alzheimer's disease
Use in humans has mostly been reported empirically, as the studies that have evaluated the effectiveness of CBD for Alzheimer's have largely been carried out with cell cultures and laboratory animals.
Cannabidiol for Alzheimer's could be effective, as it has been shown to help attenuate or slow the development of various neurodegenerative diseases. In Alzheimer's disease, we can only assume that the results obtained in animals may be translational or similar in humans.
How is CBD taken for Alzheimer's disease?
CBD is not currently a medicine for Alzheimer's disease. The studies are at an early stage, so there is not yet a precise dose.
Because it can mostly help improve the quality of life of the patient, it is only possible to mention possible doses of cannabidiol for Alzheimer's from a neuropsychiatric perspective. CBD in Alzheimer's could help lift patients' mood and even reduce the patient's anxiety.
CBD dosage in Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's patients may go through different mood disorders. The effectiveness of CBD for depression, insomnia and chronic pain has only been documented through reports from CBD users (10). As this is a survey of empirical use, the doses vary widely and the results cannot be standardised, since they are based on personal perception.
Treating anxiety with CBD has been evaluated in preclinical and clinical studies, perhaps not specifically for Alzheimer's, but the reported doses could be useful for this disease, always subject to the essential judgement and supervision of a specialist doctor. Cannabidiol has been seen to help in the treatment of anxiety at a single dose of 300 mg (15) of purified CBD. It is worth mentioning that other studies have reported the effectiveness of cannabidiol for anxiety at single doses of up to 600 mg (16) of purified CBD in an oil base. A single or acute dose should be used when considered necessary. For chronic use, 25 to 75 mg/day is used (17).
The optimal dose of cannabidiol oil for each person should always be prescribed and supervised by the specialist. In general, it is usual to start with lower doses than those reported in the literature, and then increase or adjust the concentration depending on the results obtained. Remember that we are all different, which is why results vary so much, but starting with low doses leaves a wide margin with which to adjust the necessary dose of drops of CBD oil for Alzheimer's. For example, you could use a quarter of the lowest dose reported here for acute cases, i.e. 75 mg a day. Or you could use the lowest dose for chronic use, 25 mg/day, and from there increase the dose weekly or fortnightly depending on the effect obtained.
Can CBD interact with the medication taken by a person with Alzheimer's?
Alzheimer's is a disease that triggers a wide variety of symptoms, so the medication used is varied. Interactions depend on the nature of the metabolism of the therapy prescribed to the person with Alzheimer's. That is why it is strictly necessary to consult a specialist before using CBD.
CBD is a compound that is metabolised by the liver, so care should be taken when it is taken alongside other therapies that are metabolised in a similar way. To understand this a little better, we invite you to read our post on CBD interactions with medication.
In conclusion…
There is still a lot to discover about the mechanisms cannabidiol uses in this disease. For now, we know that it can help raise quality of life and we hope that in the future we will have more relevant information on CBD in Alzheimer's disease.
Remember that the dosage of CBD oil should be titrated and reassessed constantly. We suggest you consult a healthcare professional for more information before you start using cannabidiol oil.
Please remember that this is an informative article that is not intended to prevent, diagnose or treat any disease. Consult your doctor before using CBD. Cannactiva products are not medicines. This content may complement, but never replace, the diagnosis or treatment of any disease or symptom.
References
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- Aso, E., Andrés-Benito, P., & Ferrer, I. (2016). Delineating the Efficacy of a Cannabis-Based Medicine at Advanced Stages of Dementia in a Murine Model. Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD, 54(3), 903–912. https://doi.org/10.3233/JAD-160533
- Hampson, A. J., Grimaldi, M., Axelrod, J., & Wink, D. (1998). Cannabidiol and (-)Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol are neuroprotective antioxidants. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 95(14), 8268–8273. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.95.14.8268
- Iuvone, T., Esposito, G., Esposito, R., Santamaria, R., Di Rosa, M., & Izzo, A. A. (2004). Neuroprotective effect of cannabidiol, a non-psychoactive component from Cannabis sativa, on beta-amyloid-induced toxicity in PC12 cells. Journal of neurochemistry, 89(1), 134–141. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-4159.2003.02327.x
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