Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

The cannabis paradox: when age matters

Nature Medicine volume 23, pages 661–662 (2017)Cite this article

Subjects

New evidence in mouse models reveals that exposure to Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive component in Cannabis sativa, might improve cognitive performance in aging animals.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Bilkei-Gorzo et al.5 show in mature and old mice (12 and 18 months old, respectively) that THC increases the density of hippocampal synapses; the phosphorylation of signaling proteins involved in learning and memory; and levels of histone acetylation in the hippocampus.

Kim Caesar/Springer Nature

References

  1. US National Institute on Drug Abuse. Marijuana (NIDA, 2017); available at https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/marijuana.

  2. European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction. European Drug Report 2016: Trends and Developments (Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 2016).

  3. Morena, M. & Campolongo, P. Neurobiol. Learn. Mem. 112, 30–43 (2014).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Ledent, C. et al. Science 283, 401–404 (1999).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Bilkei-Gorzo, A. et al. Nat. Med. 23, 782–787 (2017).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Gaoni, Y. & Mechoulam, R. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 86, 1646–1647 (1964).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Zanettini, C. et al. Front. Behav. Neurosci. 5, 57 (2011).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Ferrer, I. Prog. Neurobiol. 97, 38–51 (2012).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Aso, E., Sánchez-Pla, A., Vegas-Lozano, E., Maldonado, R. & Ferrer, I. J. Alzheimers Dis. 43, 977–991 (2015).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Dubal, D.B. et al. J. Neurosci. 35, 2358–2371 (2015).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Andrés Ozaita is in the Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, University Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain.,

    Andrés Ozaita

  2. Ester Aso is in the Pathological Anatomy Service, Bellvitge University Hospital, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Center for Networked Biomedical Research–Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED), Carlos III Health Institute, Madrid, Spain.,

    Ester Aso

Authors
  1. Andrés Ozaita
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ester Aso
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Andrés Ozaita or Ester Aso.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Ozaita, A., Aso, E. The cannabis paradox: when age matters. Nat Med 23, 661–662 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm.4348

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nm.4348

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing