Marijuana’s Psychoactive Ingredient, THC, Prevents Brain Damage Before And After Injury

MedicalDaily.com

Taking low doses of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the psychoactive component inmarijuana, could protect your brain from long-term cognitive damage following injuries, a new study claims.

Based on his studies published inBehavioural Brain Research andExperimental Brain Research, Yosef Sarne, professor at Tel Aviv University’s Adleson Center for the Biology of Addictive Diseases, found that the recreational drug has neuroprotective abilities, and those who have suffered from hypoxia, or lack of oxygen, seizures or toxic drug-related injuries to the brain could benefit from low doses.

“This treatment, especially in light of the long time frame for administration and the low dosage, could be applicable to many cases of brain injury and be safer over time,” Sarne said in a press release.

His studies demonstrated that low doses of THC, approximately 1,000 to 10,000 times smaller than a marijuana cigarette, could be taken within 1 to 7 days before, or 1 to 3 days after, an injury for benefits to the brain. According to Sarne, THC may cause a tinydamage to the brain, then form resistance to preserve cognitive function and brain cells.

The study was performed in mice at low doses before or after brain trauma, while the control group was not given THC. After close examination three to seven weeks after the injury, Sarne found that the THC-treated mice scored high in learning and memory-based behavioral tests.

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