What is Alzheimer's?

Alzheimer's is an irreversible, progressive brain disease that occurs in older adults and causes various mental and behavioral disorders, particularly forgetfulness. Essentially arising from damage to parts of the brain, its most common symptoms include memory loss, reduced ability to cope with daily activities, diminished perception and impaired control of emotional responses.

Alzheimer's is actually one type of dementia. Dementia does not describe a single disease; it is a general name for many diseases involving impaired mental abilities. Sometimes called senility in everyday language, dementia may arise from different diseases. Alzheimer's is the most common type. The second most common is vascular dementia, which develops because of blockages in blood vessels in the brain.

The disease was first described in 1906 by German psychiatrist and neuropathologist Alois Alzheimer. In 1901, Dr. Alzheimer began examining a patient named Auguste Deter at Frankfurt's mental hospital. He observed unusual behavioral symptoms, including short-term memory loss, in the 51-year-old patient. After examining her brain following her death in 1906, he presented the pathology and clinical symptoms of what he then called “presenile dementia” on November 3, 1906.

What are the symptoms of Alzheimer's?

The first main symptom is memory loss or forgetfulness. Symptoms begin with minor memory problems, such as forgetting recent conversations and events. As the disease progresses, these worsen and other symptoms appear.

Early-stage symptoms

  • Difficulty remembering people, objects, addresses, numbers and dates
  • Forgetting recent events
  • Weakened speech and language skills
  • Deteriorating social relationships
  • Depression and anxiety
  • Confusion and repeatedly discussing the same events

Middle-stage symptoms

  • Hallucinations
  • Difficulty speaking
  • Suspicion of family and close acquaintances
  • Difficulty reading and writing
  • Aggressive and obsessive behavior
  • A confused sense of time

Advanced-stage symptoms

  • Difficulty speaking and loss of speech
  • Difficulty eating and weight loss
  • Inability to find rooms at home
  • Inability to remember the recent and distant past
  • Urinary incontinence
  • Inability to move without assistance

Who develops Alzheimer's, and why does it occur?

Alzheimer's often begins in the sixties, and its prevalence increases with age. It occurs in one in every 10–20 people over 65 and almost one in two over 85. It is more common in women. Women live an average of ten years longer than men, a difference emerging after the sixties. Although not fully confirmed, this may explain the greater frequency in women.

According to the research cited at publication, about 50 million people worldwide had Alzheimer's, with the number increasing by around one million annually. Although no detailed study had yet been conducted in Turkey, approximately 600,000 Turkish citizens were estimated to have the disease.

Alzheimer's is not contagious or a genetic disease. However, although not classified here as genetic, it carries genetic risk. Apart from a few early-onset groups, patients do not fit typical inherited disease patterns, but genetic risk becomes apparent when combined with other factors.

Research into Alzheimer's genetics has identified possible associations with genes on chromosomes 1, 14, 19 and 21. Someone inheriting the APOE2 gene from both parents is considered highly protected. Conversely, inheriting APOE4 from both parents creates genetic susceptibility. However, people with the relevant APOE type who do not develop Alzheimer's raise questions about a definitive genetic effect.

Despite scientific studies over many years, the exact cause remains unknown. Certain possible causes are considered risk factors and may play a role in its development:

  • Increasing age
  • Down syndrome
  • Inactivity and insufficient physical activity
  • Smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke
  • Untreated depression and trauma
  • Genetic susceptibility
  • Inadequate, unhealthy nutrition and obesity
  • Hypertension and high cholesterol
  • Type 2 diabetes

Alzheimer's disease and CBD oil

Although identified more than a century ago, Alzheimer's had no known definitive cure at the time of this article. Drug treatments intended to improve comprehension, understanding and behavioral abilities may cause headaches, dizziness, nausea and vomiting, making an already difficult process harder for patients and caregiving families.

Before looking at CBD and Alzheimer's, let us briefly examine the endocannabinoid system, a complex cell-signaling network in the human body. Endocannabinoids produced by the body and endocannabinoid receptors occur in organs, connective tissues, glands, muscles, bones and the brain. Endocannabinoids are literally a bridge between body and mind.

Two important parts of this complex structure are CB1 and CB2 receptors. CB1 receptors occur throughout the brain, including the hippocampus, responsible for memory functions and learning. CB2 receptors are found in particular immune cells called microglia in the brain, as well as elsewhere in the body. The endocannabinoid system responds to signals from the CBD products we consume and is largely responsible for memory; the hippocampus is the first major part of the body damaged by Alzheimer's.

For more information, read “Everything you need to know about the endocannabinoid system.”

A 2017 study focusing on CBD use in treating Alzheimer's identified CBD's ability to treat nervous system disorders effectively. Its effectiveness comes from its antioxidant properties as well as cannabinoids' ability to protect nerve cells from damage and further deterioration. The research also included findings that CBD oil could significantly reduce the disease's negative effects on general health and improve cognitive ability. According to this research, CBD could be a key to treating and slowing the fatal disease.

Another 2017 study by scientists at Germany's University of Bonn and colleagues at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel explored how medical cannabis could reverse brain aging accelerated by Alzheimer's. Older mice treated over an extended period with a low dose of a medical cannabis active ingredient showed memory performance comparable to two-month-old mice. The article interpreted this study as suggesting that full spectrum medical cannabis, particularly CBD and THC, might reverse dementia.

In a study published in 2018, German scientists found that, alongside CBD, THC, the main psychoactive substance in cannabis, improved performance in various memory tests in mice showing Alzheimer's symptoms. Mice given a synthetic THC form for six weeks achieved memory test results almost comparable to mice without Alzheimer's. No neuron loss was detected, and a 20% reduction in atypical beta-amyloid plaques was observed.

In a study published in 2021, researchers found that CBD had real potential to help prevent cognitive decline and relieve Alzheimer's symptoms by changing brain chemistry. Interleukin 33 (IL-33) is a brain protein associated with beta-amyloid accumulation, a major feature of Alzheimer's. TREM-2 protein, encoded by the TREM-2 gene, is also associated with the neurodegenerative disease.

In the mouse study, researchers administered high doses of CBD by abdominal injection daily for two weeks. They found that CBD normalized IL-33 levels and that the protein could regulate the immune response, reduce inflammation and restore immune homeostasis. They also found that CBD improved low TREM-2 levels associated with Alzheimer's. After treatment, IL-33 levels increased sevenfold and TREM-2 tenfold in the mice.

In conclusion…

Although more research is needed into CBD's specific effects on dementia and Alzheimer's, there is evidence that CBD and other cannabinoids may have serious potential as a sought-after treatment for this cruel, fatal disease. Thousands of people worldwide also use CBD oil to relieve the mental fog common in Alzheimer's and report substantially reduced dementia symptoms. We hope potentially harmful drugs will give way in the near future to natural compounds such as CBD and other cannabinoids.

We wish you good health.