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Does THC Really Impact Memory?


August 23, 2017

Smoking is often associated with fogginess and memory loss, but are the two really linked? A new study used mice to examine the effects of THC on memory, and the results were quite surprising. Here’s what you need to know about this research:

The Study

Researchers began the study by separating the mice by their ages, so there was one group of young mice and one group of old mice. Then, the researchers further divided the groups so some mice in each group received a daily dose of THC for 28 days, while the others did not receive any THC at all. THC is a cannabinoid found in cannabis products sold in dispensaries in Denver. This is the chemical that is responsible for producing the high effect that marijuana users experience, and many people believe it can also negatively affect users’ memory. Learn about the cannabis study: how THC affects learning and memory at different ages.

After the 28 days was over, the researchers performed a series of tests to determine if the mice’s ability to learn or remember things was affected by THC consumption. It’s important to note that none of the mice had any THC in their systems at the time of this test. This is because the purpose of the study was not to determine whether THC affects memory while it’s still in someone’s system, but rather if repeated use of THC has a permanent effect on memory.

The Results

Surprisingly, the old mice that had received daily doses of THC performed extremely well on the learning and memory tests. In fact, researchers found that the group of old mice that had consumed THC performed at the same level as the group of young mice that had not consumed any THC.

To confirm this finding, researchers studied the brain activity of the mice. They found that older mice that had been given THC had more neuron activity in the hippocampus than older mice that had not been given THC.

What do these findings mean? It could mean that the effects of THC will vary depending on the user’s age. Of course, this only one study, so more research is needed to determine if these results can be replicated. Additionally, this study was performed on mice, so there’s no way of knowing whether older adults will experience the same benefits from cannabis as the older mice in this study did.

Even though it’s too early to generalize these results, it’s still interesting to hear that THC may not affect memory in the way that we have always assumed that it does. Hopefully, other scientists will take interest in this subject and provide more research that marijuana consumers can use to better their lives.

Ready to learn more about cannabis? If so, we encourage you to stop by Altitude Dispensary, one of the best dispensaries in Denver. Our knowledgeable budtenders can help you find the right medical or recreational product to suit your needs. Contact Altitude Dispensary for more information today!