When it comes to CBD, there are several topics you’ll see come up regularly in your research. This includes things like depression, anxiety, dosage, or sleep. One such (semi) regularly occurring topic, at least within the science and research side of things, is how CBD may act as a neuroprotectant. This means that it may have the potential to help support our brain’s health and possibly play a role in preventing neural decline. This is particularly interesting as it pertains to neurocognitive disorders, such as Alzheimers, Dementia, and other brain-declining diseases.

So we thought to give it the LoFi treatment and talk about it; what we know so far, what we don’t, and anything you should be aware of when it comes to CBD and neurocognitive disorders.

Defining Neurocognitive Disorders

Neurocognitive disorders (NCDs), also known as cognitive disorders, are conditions that that cause a decline in cognitive ability. There are three main categories of NCDs: delirium (sudden severe confusion), mild neurocognitive disorder (some decreased mental function but not enough to affect independent living and everyday tasks), and major neurocognitive disorder (also known as dementia).

For the purposes of this post, we’re mostly going to be discussing this third category.

Dementia can also be broken down into several different illnesses and conditions, each with their own causes, symptoms, and challenges. Some of the most well-known types of dementia include Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson disease, Huntington disease, Lewy Body disease, and several others. While many of these conditions are more commonin older folks, they can also be brought on by traumatic brain injury, strokes, or genetic factors. Common symptoms of these conditions include memory loss, mood and personality changes, aggression, and difficulty communicating.

Of course, the vast nature of NCDs means that we can’t cover them all in a single blog post. For now, we’ll just be covering some of the more well-known diseases and follow where the research takes us.

How CBD Works – The ECS

Before we get into too much of the science, we need to understand the endocannabinoid system (ECS) and how CBD interacts with our bodies.

The ECS is a series of receptors and transmitters that help to regulate our bodies. Put simply, when a neurotransmitter (a chemical produced by the body), locks into a receptor, our body is then able to feed off these chemicals and produce results. The ECS contributes to everything from our sleep cycles to managing pain, mood, appetite, memory, stress, and immune responses.

There are two main receptor sites in the ECS, called CB1 and CB2. CB1 receptors are largely found in the brain and nervous system. They’re associated with promoting feelings of calm through a chemical called anandamide. CB1 receptors are also linked with decreasing pain, anxiety, and inflammation. CB2 receptors are found primarily in organs associated with the immune system. These receptors also may be linked with inflammation.

When it comes to NCDs, these anti-inflammatory properties are particularly of note.

CBD interacts with the ECS in a multitude of ways. Basically, when our body struggles to regulate itself, CBD may be able to interact with the receptors in the ECS in order to provide that regulation for us.

Several of the other receptors CBD interacts with may be connected to symptoms of dementia and other NCDs. To keep things easy, we’ve listed them below:

• In one study, it was found that CBD activates 5-HT1A (hydroxytryptamine) receptors, which are associated with various processes, including anxiety, addiction, appetite, sleep, pain perception, nausea, memory, and mood.
• Activated PPARS (peroxisome proliferator activated receptors) have been linked to the breaking down and reducing of amyloid-beta plaque, which is connected to Alzheimer’s disease. Since this is the case, there’s a possibility that CBD may be useful as a treatment for Alzheimer’s.

For more information about how CBD interacts with our bodies, check out this post we wrote here.

State of the Science

Next, we need to understand a bit about how NCDs work. To put it simply, they’re connected to the behaviour of proteinsin our brain, known as proteinopathy. Alzheimer’s, for example, is associated with beta-amyloid proteins (as we just touched on above) clumping together and forming “plaques.” These plaque clumps interrupt the healthy functioning of cells in the brain. And it’s not just Alzheimer’s. Parkinson’s disease can be caused by proteins like alpha-synuclein, Huntington’s disease by the defective form of the Huntingtin protein, and Lewy body dementia by protein deposits called Lewy bodies. With this in mind, it’s understandable that a lot of the scientific effort to treat and prevent NCDs focuses on these proteins.

This is where CBD comes in. One study, conducted in vitro, suggests that CBD may be able to counteract the formation of these amyloid plaques. Additionally, there is research to suggest that CBD may act as a neuroprotective, meaning it may have the potential to help protect neurons (the nerve cells that allow your brain to do things) from damage and deterioration. This is particularly important when it comes to potentially slowing the effects of NCDs. There’s also some research to suggest that CBD may help support things like memory, facial recognition, and cognitive functioning due to how it interacts with CB1 receptors.

On another note, CBD has exhibited several properties that may enable it to help fight or slow down the onset of these disorders. For example, its shown to be anti-inflammatory, has the potential to be antioxidative (may help prevent cell damage caused by unstable molecules), and antiapoptotic (can help prevent cell death). This is significant because inflammation and oxidative stress play a major role in the development of neurocognitive disorders.

Like many things CBD, there’s also research targeting specific symptoms of disorders rather than the disorders themselves. Some symptoms CBD may be able to support with are things like aggression and agitation, with some studies suggesting it has anti-anxiety and anti-psychotic properties.

More specifically, this study suggests that CBD may help with some symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, like sleep or psychosis. This study found a decrease in psychotic symptoms under daily CBD treatment for six patients living with Parkinson’s. However, when it comes to Huntington’s, the results are more inconclusive, with neither positive nor negative effects being reported.

For more information about CBD as an anti-anxiety tool, check out our posts linked here.

All this being said, we still have a long way to go before we fully understand the effects of CBD on NCDs and their symptoms.

A Matter of Full Spectrum

Another important thing to understand is how the unique chemical makeup of the CBD you’re consuming may also have an impact on its effects. Although the science is still new, cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids are said to work together in what’s called the entourage effect. Put simply, this means that when all these components are present, they’re able to produce an effect greater than the sum of their individual parts. This is one reason why we at LoFi prefer Full Spectrum CBD.

There is some evidence for the entourage effect being helpful when dealing with NCDs. When CBM, a type of cannabinoid, was combined with high amounts of CBD, research suggests that it may help improve the difficulties with movement experienced by patients with Huntington or Parkinson diseases. CBM combined with higher THC also appears to have potential to help reduce behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD).

Other compounds commonly found within CBD that may have an effect on some of the symptoms of NCDs include:

• CBG: Potential to help mitigate neuroinflammation
• THC: Impacts CB1 receptors, that are associated with managing pain, inflammation, and anxiety
• Myrcene: research suggests that it has anti-aging, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-anxiety, and pain-relieving properties
• Limonene: research suggests it has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-stress properties
• Linalool: research suggests it has anti-anxiety, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant
• Caryophyllene: studies suggest it may have anti-inflammation properties
• Cannflavin: possibly has a greater anti-inflammatory effect than aspirin and full of antioxidants
• Quercetin: may also haveanti-inflammatory properties

An important thing to note about Full Spectrum CBD is that it does contain THC as well. Generally, THC interacts with our bodies in ways different than CBD, and therefore can have differing effects on conditions and diseases. Most research surrounding THC and cognition has more to do with THC and its association to neuro-decline (memory issues, concentration challenges, etc.), and less to do with NCDs. This research review found an association between heavy cannabis (THC) use and cognitive decline later in life, but determined low sample size and lack of studies makes the association non-conclusive.

Other Important Notes

While some of these things, like genetic factors and injury, are beyond anyone’s control, there are steps you can take to reduce your risk of developing cognitive challenges. Experts recommend living an active lifestyle, following a healthy diet like the Mediterranean diet (lots of veggies, fruits and whole grains; less red meat), managing blood pressure, and getting a good amount of sleep each night. There is also a link between physical activity and brain health. Getting exercise is important.

It’s also important to note that CBD has been known to interact with certain medications. Specifically, be on the lookout if your medication has grapefruit warnings. Always check in with your doctor first. For more info, check out our post on the topic here.

TL;DR

 From what we have right now, research into CBD’s potential impact on NCDs seem positive. Several of CBD’s properties, especially when combined with other, Full Spectrum compounds, may not only have the potential to help manage symptoms of these diseases, but possibly act as preventatives as well. As always, more research is needed before we can know anything for sure, so we’re looking forward to more solid answers in the future.