Potential therapeutical contributions of the endocannabinoid system towards aging and Alzheimer's disease

Abstract

Aging can lead to decline in cognition, notably due to neurodegenerative processes overwhelming the brain over time. As people live longer, numerous concerns are rightfully raised toward long-term slowly incapacitating diseases with no cure, such as Alzheimer's disease. Since the early 2000's, the role of neuroinflammation has been scrutinized for its potential role in the development of diverse neurodegenerative diseases notably because of its slow onset and chronic nature in aging. Despite the lack of success yet, treatment of chronic neuroinflammation could help alleviate process implicated in neurodegenerative disease. A growing number of studies including our own have aimed at the endocannabinoid system and unfolded unique effects of this system on neuroinflammation, neurogenesis and hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease and made it a reasonable target in the context of normal and pathological brain aging.