Marijuana Slows Alzheimer’s Decline

“the investigators confirmed that cannabinoids counteracted the activation of microglia and thus reduced inflammation.  These findings that cannabinoids work both to prevent inflammation and to protect the brain may set the stage for their use as a therapeutic approach for Alzheimer’s disease, de Ceballos said.”

http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n307/a10.html

Cannabinoids suppress inflammatory and neuropathic pain by targeting α3 glycine receptors

TRUTH: “Cannabinoids suppress inflammatory and neuropathic pain by targeting α3 glycine receptors… nonpsychoactive cannabinoids can potentiate glycine receptors (GlyRs), an important target for nociceptive regulation at the spinal level… We report that systemic and intrathecal administration of cannabidiol (CBD), a major nonpsychoactive component of marijuana, and its modified derivatives significantly suppress chronic inflammatory and neuropathic pain without causing apparent analgesic tolerance… These cannabinoids may represent a novel class of therapeutic agents for the treatment of chronic pain and other diseases involving GlyR dysfunction.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22585736

Cannabinoid type 1 receptors located on single-minded 1-expressing neurons control emotional behaviors.

“Cannabinoid type 1 receptors located on single-minded 1-expressing neurons control emotional behaviors… This study suggests that CB1 receptors located on Sim1-expressing neurons exert a tonic control on locomotor reactivity, unconditioned anxiety, and cued-fear expression under basal conditions as well as after acute or repeated stress.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21920410

CB1 and CB2 receptor mRNA expression in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from various donor types

“Marijuana cannabinoid receptors (CBR), CB1 and CB2… CB1 and CB2 receptor mRNA expression in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from various donor types… results suggest that CBR expression is relatively constant across the human population.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11727770

Expression of cannabinoid receptors and their gene transcripts in human blood cells.

Food for thought: ” Normal human volunteers who do not use marijuana have genes that encode for the marijuana (cannabinoid) receptor proteins… We therefore concluded that the existence of… Expression of cannabinoid receptors and their gene transcripts in human blood cells.”— Human blood contains cannabinoid receptors.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10621950

The endocannabinoid system and neurogenesis in health and disease.

Consuming plant cannabinoids leads to neurogenesis (birth of neurons), thanks to the endocannabinoid system.

“The endocannabinoid system exerts an important neuromodulatory function in different brain areas and is also known to be involved in the regulation of neural cell fate.

Thus, CB(1) cannabinoid receptors are neuroprotective in different models of brain injury, and their expression is altered in various neurodegenerative diseases. Recent findings have demonstrated the presence of a functional endocannabinoid system in neural progenitor cells that participates in the regulation of cell proliferation and differentiation.

In this Research Update, the authors address the experimental evidence regarding the regulatory role of cannabinoids in neurogenesis and analyze them in the context of those pathological disorders in which cannabinoid function and altered neuronal or glial generation is most relevant, for example, stroke and multiple sclerosis.”

Food for thought: endocannabinoid modulation of lipogenesis

TRUTH: “Cannabis has been used since antiquity for the treatment of many ailments, including pain, rheumatoid arthritis, epilepsy, and eating disorders…”— “And God said … herb bearing seed … it is GOOD … it shall be for FOOD.” – Genesis 1:29

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1087183/?tool=pubmed