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Brain Sciences
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The Effects of Cannabis on the Elderly
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The Effects of Cannabis on the Elderly

A special issue of Brain Sciences (ISSN 2076-3425). This special issue belongs to the section "Systems Neuroscience".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2021) | Viewed by 14365

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Thorsten Rudroff

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Health and Human Physiology, Department of Neurology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
Interests: brain injury; non-invasive brain stimulation; neuroimaging; fatigue; neurological disorders
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The use of medical cannabis has grown substantially in recent years and is used in various indications such as chronic pain, chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, anorexia nervosa, anxiety, dementia, dystonia, Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), psychosis, Tourette syndrome, epilepsy and more. The number of people aged 60 years and over is expected to double by 2025 worldwide and by 2050 in the United States. Epidemiological data show that the older population constitutes a growing segment of medical cannabis users, ranging from approximately 7% to more than one third, depending on the country. Despite the significant rise in use, the current evidence on the efficacy and safety of medical cannabis in the elderly is scarce. Only a small number of studies included elderly patients or analyzed them separately. Evidence for the efficacy of medical cannabis to treat various symptoms in older adults, including pain, sleep disturbances, mood disorders and neurological symptoms, is limited. Older adults have an increased risk of side effects from cannabinoids because they have impaired metabolism, and a higher potential for drug–drug interactions and comorbidities. Despite the lack of high-quality supporting evidence, medical cannabis may provide some benefits in selected older patients.

The aim and scope of this special issue is to assess the characteristics of the older population receiving medical cannabis for a wide variety of diseases and to evaluate the safety and efficacy of short-, medium-, and long-term use.

How do older users and non-users view medical cannabis? Do their perspectives differ regarding recreational use?

Prof. Dr. Thorsten Rudroff
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Brain Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • cannabis
  • CBD
  • THC
  • opioids
  • pain
  • muscle spasticity
  • drug interactions
  • mood disorders
  • neurological symptoms
  • neuroimaging
  • brain function

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 1463 KiB  
Article
Are the Acute Effects of THC Different in Aging Adults?
by Raeghan L. Mueller, Jarrod M. Ellingson, L. Cinnamon Bidwell, Angela D. Bryan and Kent E. Hutchison
Brain Sci. 2021, 11(5), 590; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11050590 - 01 May 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 6033
Abstract
In recent years of expanding legalization, older adults have reported the largest increase in cannabis use of any age group. While its use has been studied extensively in young adults, little is known about the effects of THC in older adults and whether [...] Read more.
In recent years of expanding legalization, older adults have reported the largest increase in cannabis use of any age group. While its use has been studied extensively in young adults, little is known about the effects of THC in older adults and whether the risks of cannabis might be different, particularly concerning intoxication and cognition. The current study investigated whether age is associated with the deleterious effects of THC on cognitive performance and other behavioral measures before and after ad libitum self-administration of three different types of cannabis flower (THC dominant, THC + CBD, and CBD dominant). Age groups consisted of young adults (ages 21–25) and older adults (ages 55–70). Controlling for pre-use scores on all measures, the THC dominant chemovar produced a greater deleterious effect in younger adults compared with older adults in tests of learning and processing speed, whereas there were no differences between old and young in the effects of the other chemovars. In addition, the young group reported greater cannabis craving than the older group after using the THC chemovar. Consistent with some reports in the preclinical literature, the findings suggest that older adults may be less sensitive to the effects of THC on cognitive and affective measures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Effects of Cannabis on the Elderly)
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8 pages, 229 KiB  
Article
Cannabis Use among Older Persons with Arthritis, Cancer and Multiple Sclerosis: Are We Comparing Apples and Oranges?
by Brian Kaskie, Hyojung Kang, Divya Bhagianadh and Julie Bobitt
Brain Sci. 2021, 11(5), 532; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11050532 - 23 Apr 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3923
Abstract
Although researchers have identified medications that relieve symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS), none are entirely effective and some persons with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) use alternatives. Our study compared cannabis use among PwMS (N = 135) and persons diagnosed with arthritis (N = 582) [...] Read more.
Although researchers have identified medications that relieve symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS), none are entirely effective and some persons with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) use alternatives. Our study compared cannabis use among PwMS (N = 135) and persons diagnosed with arthritis (N = 582) or cancer (N = 622) who were age 60 and older, enrolled in the State of Illinois Medical Cannabis Program, and invited to complete a survey fielded between June and September, 2019. We used logistic regression to identify significant differences in self-reported effects of cannabis on psychological wellbeing, quality of life, and three behavioral outcomes, and we also considered effects of past year opioid use relative to these outcomes. We found that the majority of individuals from all groups used cannabis to address pain and improve quality of sleep. While PwMS reported lower baseline levels across all five outcomes, we found that the reported effects of cannabis were largely comparable across the groups. We also found that cannabis benefitted persons with sleep and digestive issues regardless of condition, whereas persons who used opioids in addition to cannabis were less likely to experience an improvement in any of the outcomes. This comparative evaluation suggests that cannabis’ effects are not specific to MS, arthritis, or cancer as much as they impact processes common among these distinct conditions. We also found evidence that cannabis may be a viable alternative to opioids for those with these conditions and experiencing pain. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Effects of Cannabis on the Elderly)
12 pages, 532 KiB  
Article
Increased Likelihood of Falling in Older Cannabis Users vs. Non-Users
by Craig D. Workman, Alexandra C. Fietsam, Jacob Sosnoff and Thorsten Rudroff
Brain Sci. 2021, 11(2), 134; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11020134 - 21 Jan 2021
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3703
Abstract
Cannabis is one of the most common drugs in the United States and is the third most prevalent substance consumed by adults aged 50 years and older. Normal aging is associated with physiological changes that make older adults vulnerable to impaired function and [...] Read more.
Cannabis is one of the most common drugs in the United States and is the third most prevalent substance consumed by adults aged 50 years and older. Normal aging is associated with physiological changes that make older adults vulnerable to impaired function and geriatric conditions (e.g., falls, cognitive impairment). However, the impact of medical cannabis use on fall risk in older adults remains unexplored. The purpose of this study was to investigate if cannabis use in older adults influences fall risk, cognitive function, and motor function. It was hypothesized that older chronic cannabis users would perform worse than non-users on gait, balance, and cognitive tests. Sixteen older adults, split into cannabis Users and age- and sex-matched Non-Users groups (n = 8/group), participated in the study. The results indicate a higher fall risk, worse one leg standing balance performance, and slower gait speed in Users vs. Non-Users. No significant differences in cognitive function were found. Thus, chronic cannabis use was purported to exacerbate the poorer balance control and slower gait velocity associated with normal aging. Future mechanistic (e.g., neuroimaging) investigations of the short- and long-term effects of using a variety of cannabis products (e.g., THC/CBD ratios, routes of administration) on cognitive function, motor function, and fall incidence in older adults are suggested. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Effects of Cannabis on the Elderly)
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