Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder and the most common cause of dementia, gradually eroding memory, reasoning, language and the ability to carry out daily tasks.

It is characterized by the buildup of amyloid plaques and tau tangles in the brain, along with loss of neurons and their connections. Early signs often include forgetting recent conversations, misplacing items and difficulty finding words, later progressing to disorientation, personality changes and dependence on others for basic care. Age is the strongest risk factor, and family history and certain genes add to it.

Diagnosis rests on a clinical history, cognitive testing and neurological examination, increasingly supported by brain imaging and biomarker tests of spinal fluid or blood. Cannabidiol has been studied in laboratory and animal models of neuroinflammation and neuroprotection, but clinical evidence in people with Alzheimer's disease is very limited and no established use exists.