Posted on 07/01/2016 6:11:28 AM PDT by Wolfie
Marijuana compound removes toxic Alzheimer's protein from the brain
An active compound in marijuana called tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) has been found to promote the removal of toxic clumps of amyloid beta protein in the brain, which are thought to kickstart the progression of Alzheimer's disease.
The finding supports the results of previous studies that found evidence of the protective effects of cannabinoids, including THC, on patients with neurodegenerative disease.
"Although other studies have offered evidence that cannabinoids might be neuroprotective against the symptoms of Alzheimer's, we believe our study is the first to demonstrate that cannabinoids affect both inflammation and amyloid beta accumulation in nerve cells," says one of the team, David Schubert from the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in California.
Schubert and his colleagues tested the effects of THC on human neurons grown in the lab that mimic the effects of Alzheimer's disease.
If you're not familiar with this special little compound, it’s not only responsible for the majority of marijuana's psychological effects - including the high - thanks to its natural pain-relieving properties, it’s also been touted as an effective treatment for the symptoms of everything from HIV and chemotherapy to chronic pain, post traumatic stress disorder, and stroke.
In fact, THC appears to be such an amazing medical agent, researchers are working on breeding genetically modified yeast that can produce it way more efficiently than it would be to make synthetic versions.
The compound works by passing from the lungs to the bloodstream, where it attaches to two types of receptors, cannabinoid receptor (CB) 1 and 2, which are found on cell surfaces all over the body.
In the brain, these receptors are most concentrated in neurons associated with pleasure, memory, thinking, coordination and time perception, and usually bind with a class of lipid molecules called endocannabinoids that are produced by the body during physical activity to promote cell-to-cell signalling in the brain.
But THC can also bind to them in much the same way, and when they do, they start messing with your brain's ability to communicate with itself. The can be a good and a bad thing, because while you might forget something important or suddenly be incapable of swinging a baseball bat, you'll probably feel amazing, and want to eat all the snacks.
Over the years, research has suggested that by binding to these receptors, THC could be having another effect on ageing brains, because it appears to helps the body clear out the toxic accumulations - or 'plaques' - of amyloid beta.
No one's entirely sure what causes Alzheimer's disease, but it’s thought to result from a build-up of two types of lesions: amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles.
Amyloid plaques sit between the neurons as dense clusters of beta-amyloid molecules - a sticky type of protein that easily clumps together - and neurofibrillary tangles are caused by defective tau proteins that clump up into a thick, insoluble mass in the neurons.
It’s not clear why these lesions begin to appear in the brain, but studies have linked inflammation in the brain tissue to the proliferation of plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. So if we can find something that eases brain inflammation while at the same time encourages the body to clear out these lesions, we could be on the way to finding the first effective treatment for Alzheimer's ever.
Back in 2006, researchers at the Scripps Research Institute found that THC inhibits the formation of amyloid plaques by blocking the enzyme in the brain that produces them, and now Schubert and his team have demonstrated that it can also eliminate a dangerous inflammatory response from the nerve cells, ensuring their survival.
"Inflammation within the brain is a major component of the damage associated with Alzheimer's disease, but it has always been assumed that this response was coming from immune-like cells in the brain, not the nerve cells themselves," says one of the team, Antonio Currais.
"When we were able to identify the molecular basis of the inflammatory response to amyloid beta, it became clear that THC-like compounds that the nerve cells make themselves may be involved in protecting the cells from dying."
It's exciting stuff, but it's so far only been demonstrated in neurons in the lab, so the next step will be for Schubert and his team to observe the link between THC and reduced inflammation and plaque build-up in a clinical trial. And they've reportedly already found a drug candidate called J147 that appears to have the same effects as THC, so this might be the way they can test the effects of THC without the government getting in the way.
The results have been published in Aging and Mechanisms of Disease.
So folks in Colorado have a cure for Alzheimers but most in the US will go to jail?
So if this is true and I quite frankly hope it is. They need to make it into a pill form and start prescribing it all all pre demential and worse patience effective today. But I think it can be done in pill form. Let’s use the weed for good.
I’m of the opinion that our Heavenly Father has given us everything we need to have a good life here. We just have to figure it out.
I’ve been personally close to a few heavy pot smokers in my time. Given a choice, I’ll take Alzheimer’s disease. At least it hasn’t yet been proven to be self inflicted. La La Land is La La Land, no matter how you get there. This is the most inventive excuse I’ve seen so far for The Weed. If it’s so effective, put it in a pill. It seems to get a lot less interesting in that form for some reason.
But big pharma doesn’t benefit from that!
The crazy right-wingers at Free Republic also seem to be rational.
10 years ago there would be dozens screaming "it's just another excuse to get high" and some inane allusion to filthy druggies.
I’ve known about this for years. Thanks for catching up. The Dude could not be reached for comment.
Somehow, I doubt a case of the munchies fueled this rage over McNuggets. Weed smokers want to go to sleep not bash in windows to get McNuggets. Based on what I have witnessed in my life from others smoking weed..I believe Weed can become addictive.
That's not rational.
Marijuana doesn’t need a redundant protein to make people stupid, that is its job. :/
Actually it has a pill form. Big pharma has made it prohibitively expensive.
Already done. THC has been synthesized and put in a non-intoxicating oral form for some time now.
God gave us the herbs and fruits and Government takes them away.
Half of the states disagree with you and have enacted medical marijuana programs, as is their prerogative under the 10th Amendment.
Uh huh...then why are all the users I’ve ever known so forgetful? I guess if just accept all the other side effects....man boobs, lethargy / laziness, complacency, impairment of reflexes, etc....the stuff is “natural” and ergo “good” for you. Arsenic, cyanide, and ricin are all natural too. Might as well take it for my health too...lol
Dude, you are getting lefty in your old age.
This is a surprising result. Don’t many heavy pot smokers have memory issues as they age?
I wish to correct myself. It appears that it has become very reasonably priced.
Its probably not true but weed addicts will always make outrageous health-benefit claims.
It would be super simple to prove this works, or does not work, with double-blind tests in alzheimer wards.
Coconut oil does help. Brains need good quality fat and lots of it.
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