The pharmacological effects of cannabinoids are reviewed with respect to effects on human memory processes and the possible role of the cholinergic limbic system as a mediator of these cognitive changes. The effects of cannabinoids on memory processes are similar to those found following administration of antimuscarinic drugs and in neurological patients suffering from deficits in limbic cholinergic functioning. Cannabinoids have been found to selectively act on the limbic system, modulating the activity of cholinergic neurons in the septal-hippocampal pathway.

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The Benign Senescent Forgetfulness of normal aging and the Malignant Memory Loss of Senile Dementia of the Alzheimer Type (SDAT) each have a distinct symptomatology, course, and prognosis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the discriminative validity and relative predictive values of recall and recognition as diagnostic screening tests for the Malignant Memory Loss of SDAT. Thirty-six patients with mild to moderate SDAT and 40 normal aged controls were studied. Both recall and recognition showed good discriminative validity. However, analysis of recall and recognition by Bayes's Theorem revealed the relative predictive values as diagnostic screening instruments were 11% and 100% respectively. Thus, it was concluded that while both recall and recognition have discriminative validity under experimental conditions, a test of recognition is the preferred diagnostic instrument when screening for the Malignant Memory Loss of SDAT.

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