12/21/2025
🚨 A recent Phase 2 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease (2025) provides preliminary evidence that low-dose cannabis extract may stabilize cognitive function in patients with mild Alzheimer's disease (AD)-associated dementia.
Led by Prof. Francisney Pinto Nascimento and colleagues at the Federal University of Latin American Integration (Brazil), the study enrolled 24–28 patients aged 60–80 with mild AD.
Participants received daily oral doses of a balanced THC:CBD cannabis extract (approximately 0.3–0.35 mg THC and 0.25–0.3 mg CBD) or placebo for 24–26 weeks.
Primary outcome: Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores remained stable in the treatment group (slight improvement of ~0.67 points), while the placebo group declined (~1.08 points), yielding a clinically relevant between-group difference of ~1.7–3 points on the 30-point scale—consistent with halting typical annual AD progression (3–4 points/year).
No psychoactive effects were reported, and adverse events were comparable between groups, indicating good tolerability at these sub-psychoactive doses.
These findings align with preclinical data on endocannabinoid system modulation for neuroprotection and reduced neuroinflammation, as well as a prior case report from the same team showing long-term benefits.
Limitations include the small sample size, reliance on a single cognitive measure, and absence of biomarkers or imaging.
Larger Phase 3 trials are needed to validate efficacy, optimal dosing, and disease-modifying potential.
🔗 Full study: https://doi.org/10.1177/13872877251389608
🔗 Summary: https://www.sciencealert.com/microdosing-cannabis-pauses-alzheimers-decline-in-unprecedented-trial
