According to a new study published in the peer-reviewed journal Brain Communications, regular cannabis use may help counteract some of the harmful neurological effects of HIV, particularly those related to inhibitory brain processing and gamma oscillatory activity.
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Researchers from the University of Nebraska and Creighton University analyzed brain activity in 108 participants—both cannabis users and non-users, with and without HIV—using magnetoencephalography (MEG) during somatosensory stimulation tasks. The findings showed that people with HIV (PWH) who used cannabis had stronger gamma oscillatory responses and more normalized spontaneous gamma activity in the primary somatosensory cortex compared to PWH who did not use cannabis.
Notably, the study found that longer HIV disease duration was associated with reduced sensory gating efficiency—but only in non-cannabis users. Those who regularly used cannabis showed no such decline, suggesting a potential protective effect.
Gamma oscillations, which help regulate brain processing and coordination, were significantly elevated in PWH who did not use cannabis—an abnormal pattern previously linked to cognitive decline and neurological disease. In contrast, cannabis users with HIV had gamma activity levels more consistent with those of participants without HIV.
The study proposes that cannabis’s interaction with CB1 and CB2 receptors may underlie these effects, potentially influencing GABAergic interneurons critical for producing gamma rhythms. While the authors note limitations—such as not measuring inflammation markers or exact timing of cannabis use—they emphasize that these results highlight the potential of cannabis as a neuroprotective agent in the context of HIV.
“These findings provide new evidence that cannabis use may mitigate the harmful effects of HIV on oscillatory and spontaneous gamma activity serving inhibitory processing”, concludes the study.
