Nov 26, 2025
3 min read
A Brazilian study suggests that the future of marijuana as a medicine may lie in unseen doses.
A Brazilian study is investigating the effects of a microdose of cannabis extract in patients with mild Alzheimer's disease.Photo: CBD-Infos-com for Pixabay
As the world's population ages, so does the number of people suffering from dementia, such as Alzheimer's disease.Given the lack of curative treatments and limited effectiveness of available drugs, there is increasing interest in new therapeutic approaches.These also include cannabinoids derived from the cannabis plant.
A new Brazilian study recently published in the international journal "Journal of Alzheimer's Disease" investigated the effects of small doses of cannabis extract on patients with mild Alzheimer's disease.
The results are sobering, but with a hopeful message that perhaps the future of medical cannabis is in unprecedented quantities, and still not in the psychological effects that many patients and doctors believe.
Microscopic logic
The study led by Professor Francisney Nascimento and collaborators from the Federal University of Latin American Integration (UNILA) recruited elderly patients diagnosed with mild Alzheimer's and evaluated the effects of daily use of a cannabis extract containing THC and CBD in extremely low concentrations.
Active subpsychoactive doses that do not produce the famous “high” associated with recreational use of the plant and do not pose a health risk.In fact, many question whether this dose has any effect at all, as it acts like a “microdose,” a term often associated with psychedelics.
This option is not available today.I am the year of the sea and Eral Bilic and Era-Gorzik-Gorzik-Gorziks are likely to be the lowest bullies.
Later, other studies support that the learning end, which is important for schools and neural browity, undergoes a natural decline in the course of aging.
Inspired by these results, and similarly by a case report published in 2022 by a Brazilian group showing clinical improvement in an Alzheimer's patient after 22 months of microdosing, the authors decided to proceed with a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial in human volunteers.
The main outcome measure was AdAS-COG, a weight widely used to appreciate cognitive function in dementia patients.After four weeks of treatment, the group received the extract with thc showed a stabilization of users, while the placebo group is reduced.The difference was limited to only one of the Subscales assessed, and it was maintained only in the long term, but it is also statistically significant.
In other words, the effect was weak, but it was worth it.In patients with a preserved or moderate activity, it is not possible to expect significant changes in a few weeks.The real contribution can be discussed elsewhere: It shows that Microsessions can have a protective function, acting as an additional protector of the brain from the joint age.
This hypothesis echoes another Brazilian study I published in Translational Psychiatry in 2022, which demonstrated the reduction in the aging brain of lipoxin A4 (LXA4), a pro-resolution mediator of inflammation that acts through mechanisms such as stimulation of the endocannabinoid system.
A new example: marijuana without the "high".
The biggest obstacle to the adoption of cannabis as a therapeutic agent for brain aging may not be scientific, but cultural.The fear of "getting high" puts off many patients and even healthcare professionals.
But there are ways in which such studies can overcome this problem, for example, invisible changes in consciousness and the nervous system can still replace important biological systems.
Microdosing cannabis can step outside the psychoactive realm but still provide benefits.This could open the door to new formulations focused on prevention, particularly in more vulnerable populations, such as older adults with mild cognitive impairment or a family history of dementia.
What you need to know
Despite the potential, the study also has important limitations: the sample size is small, and the effects are limited to one measure of the cognitive scale.Still, the work represents an unprecedented step: it's the first clinical trial to successfully test the microdosing approach in Alzheimer's patients.
Wayi is a new way to see the approach of this plant in the treatment of important diseases.
Moving forward, new studies with larger numbers of participants, longer follow-up times, and in combination with biological markers (such as neuroimaging and inflammatory biomarkers) will be needed.Only then will it be possible to answer the fundamental question: can cannabis prevent Alzheimer's?It seems we have taken an important step towards this understanding, but for now the question remains in the air.
* Fabricio Pamplona received his PhD in Pharmacology from the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC).
