São Paulo, Brazil: The administration of cannabis-based products reduces neuropsychiatric symptoms in Alzheimer’s patients, according to a meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.
A team of investigators from Brazil and the United States evaluated the results of seven studies involving 221 participants with moderate-to-severe Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Study participants used a variety of cannabis-based formulations, including plant-derived tinctures and oral synthetic THC (dronabinol and nabilone).
“In this systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs [randomized controlled trials], cannabinoid-based therapies showed lower neuropsychiatric symptom and agitation scores than placebo in patients with moderate-to-severe AD, with somnolence as the principal safety signal,” the study’s authors concluded. “These findings support continued investigation in larger RCTs with formulation-specific protocols, longer follow-up, active comparator arms, and systematic safety monitoring.”
Full text of the study, “Cannabinoid treatment for agitation in Alzheimer’s disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis with Bayesian and Sequential Trial Analysis,” appears in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. Additional information on cannabinoids and Alzheimer’s disease is available from NORML’s publication, Clinical Applications for Cannabis and Cannabinoids.