Marijuana and Alzheimers disease
Researchers at the Scripps Research Institute have found that the active ingredient in marijuana may help prevent Alzheimer's disease. Tetrahydrocannabinol or THC as it is better known, apparently inhibits the formation of amyloid plaque. In plaques, the main protein component is called beta-amyloid, which is produced from a larger protein called beta-amyloid precursor protein. Ever since the discovery of these proteins researchers have been attempting to discover their role in the disease. This study has found that THC is much more effective at breaking down the plaque than some of the FDA approved medications currently available for treating Alzheimer's disease.
THC (an active ingredient in marijuana) may prevent the progression of Alzheimer's Disease by:
1) Preventing the breakdown of acetylcholine, an important neurotransmitter that allows the brain to function, more effectively than commercial drugs, and
2) Blocking clumps of protein that can inhibit memory and cognition in Alzheimer's patients.
SOURCE: Scripps Research Institute published in Molecular Pharmaceutics
Published Research Materials
Molecular Neurobiology Journal — The Endocannabinoid System and Alzheimer’s Disease
Journal of Molecular Medicine — The marijuana component cannabidiol inhibits B-amyloid-induced tau protein hyperphosphorylation through Wnt/B-catenin pathway rescue in PC12 cells
WebMD — Marijuana May Slow Alzheimer's, Key Marijuana Compound Beats Current Alzheimer's Drugs in Test-Tube Study
British Journal of Pharmacology — Alzheimer's Disease; taking the edge off with cannabinoids?
The Journal of Neuroscience — Prevention of Alzheimer's Disease Pathology by Cannabinoids: Neuroprotection Mediated by Blockade of Microglial Activation
The Scripps Research Institute — Marijuana's Active Ingredient Shown to Inhibit Primary Marker of Alzheimer's Disease
Molecular Pharmaceuticals — A Molecular Link between the Active Component of Marijuana and Alzheimer's Disease Pathology
European Journal of Pharmacology — AM1241, a cannabinoid CB2 receptor selective compound, delays disease progression in a mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis