Study: Medical cannabis does not impair cognitive performance in the elderly

According to a recent study published in the journal Drug & Alcohol Review.Regular use of medical cannabis has no impact on cognitive performance in the elderly.

A team of Israeli researchers set out to discover whether regular medical cannabis use could interfere with cognitive functioning in the elderly.

To conduct the study, the researchers recruited 63 chronic pain patients who used medical marijuana to treat their symptoms. The control group contained 62 chronic patients who did not use cannabis. All patients were 50 years of age or older, with an average age of 61.

«Cannabis exposure is increasingly common in the elderly, but little is known about how it is associated with brain health in this population,» explain the authors of the study.

Researchers used a standard battery of tests to assess psychomotor reaction times, attention, memory, learning abilities and other cognitive performance factors. Test results for medical cannabis users were then compared with results for non-users.

Additional tests were conducted among cannabis users to assess whether the dosage, concentrations of cannabinoids or frequency of consumption had an impact on their cognitive performance.

The researchers found «no significant difference in cognitive function» between cannabis users and the control group.

«Furthermore, no significant association between the various consumption patterns, including the concentration of THC / CBD, In addition, all participants had relatively similar performance to that of a standardized population without chronic pain. Moreover, all study participants had performances relatively similar to those of a standardized population without chronic pain.»

Researchers suggest that medical cannabis use has no impact on cognition in elderly and chronic pain patients.

«Given the increasing use of medical cannabis in older populations, this study could be a first step towards a better risk-benefit assessment of medical cannabis treatments in this population. Future studies are urgently needed to further clarify the implications of late-life cannabis use on brain health.»