Scientists have found that an active ingredient in marijuana may help protect the brain in cases of traumatic brain injury.
Researchers found that patients with traumatic brain injuries who tested positive for THC or tetrahydrocannabinol were more likely to survive than those who tested negative.
The study included 446 patients who suffered traumatic brain injuries and underwent a urine test for the presence of THC in their system.
Researchers from Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute (LA BioMed) found 82 of the patients had THC in their system. Of those, only 2.4 per cent died. Of the remaining patients who didn't have THC in their system, 11.5 per cent died.
"Previous studies conducted by other researchers had found certain compounds in marijuana helped protect the brain in animals after a trauma," said David Plurad, an LA BioMed researcher and the study's lead author.
"This study was one of the first in a clinical setting to specifically associate THC use as an independent predictor of survival after traumatic brain injury," he said.
The researchers noted that their study has some significant limitations.
"While most - but not all - the deaths in the study can be attributed to the traumatic brain injury itself, it appears that both groups were similarly injured," Plurad said.
"The similarities in the injuries between the two groups led to the conclusion that testing positive for THC in the system is associated with a decreased mortality in adult patients who have sustained traumatic brain injuries," he said.
The findings are published in the journal The American Surgeon.
