Though no one is suggest that smoking cannabis can have any variety of heal effect onAlzheimer ’s disease , an challenging new study in the journalAging and Mechanisms of Diseasereveals thatcannabinoidssuch asTHCmay aid to remove protein plaques from the brainpower . In doing so , they could protect neurons from die , ultimately stave off dementia .
Alzheimer ’s is strongly associated with the work up - up ofamyloid - beta proteinsin the brain , shape plaque that are thought to somehow damage neurons and cause their demise . As a result , key brain regions like the genus Hippocampus can decrease in book , leading to dangerous acquisition and memory shortcoming . However , the accurate mechanism by which these plaques kill neurons remains badly understand .
To inquire , the researchers originate a line of mettle cells that were genetically programmed to bring forth high levels of amyloid - beta proteins . Observing the effect this had on the jail cell in the lab , the study authors discovered that these plaques cause several proinflammatory cistron to become expressed in the neurons , pass to the liberation of neurotoxic incendiary chemicals .
As previous research has break that the body ’s natural cannabinoids – know as endocannabinoids – have the potential toreduce inflammation , the team decide to do by the neurons with THC , a psychotropic compound determine in marijuana , which acts upon many of the same receptors as some endocannabinoids . In doing so , they found that the chemical substance efficaciously halt the plaque onslaught , by both removing much of the amyloid - beta and scale down the inflammatory reply .
therefore , the neurons were able to survive for much longer after being treated with THC . Expanding on this discovery , study atomic number 27 - author Antonio Currais explained in astatementthat “ when we were able to place the molecular groundwork of the instigative response to amyloid beta , it became clean that THC - like compounds that the nerve cells make themselves may be involved in protecting the cell from dying . ”
Though more research will be needed for figure out how this data can be harnessed for create new discussion for Alzheimer ’s , the resultant role of this research could potentially open up exciting new avenue of probe into how cannabinoids can be used as a weapon system against cognitive diminution .
