Israeli Research Shows Cannabidiol May Slow Alzheimer’s Disease

Posted on January 10, 2013 by David

“An Israeli researcher has found that a non-psychoactive component of cannabis may help slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. The initial findings of a study at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem show that a non-psychoactive component of cannabis, marijuana, may hold out hope for slowing down the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.The research, still at an early stage, indicates that memory loss, the first and primary symptom of Alzheimer’s disease, can be slowed down significantly in mice by cannabidiol. Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, affects some 24.3 million people worldwide.”

Does Smoking Marijuana Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease?

Posted on January 9, 2013 by David

“Maintaining Memories with Marijuana. Research in my laboratory has demonstrated that stimulating the brain’s marijuana receptors may offer protection by reducing brain inflammation and by restoring neurogenesis. Thus, later in life, marijuana might actually help your brain, rather than harm it.

It takes very little marijuana to produce benefits in the older brain; my colleague in France, Dr. Yannick Marchalant, coined the motto “a puff is enough” because it appears as though only a single puff each day is necessary to produce significant benefit.

The challenge for pharmacologists in the future will be to isolate the beneficial effects of the marijuana plant from its psychoactive effects.”

http://www.theweedblog.com/does-smoking-marijuana-prevent-alzheimers-disease/

Pot joins the fight against Alzheimer’s, memory loss

Posted on January 9, 2013 by David

“The researchers ducked the obvious question of whether it might be simpler, faster and cheaper to simply light up a joint. “Could people smoke marijuana to prevent Alzheimer’s disease if the disease is in their family?” Wenk said in a statement. “We’re not saying that, but it might actually work.””

http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=pot-joins-the-fight-against-alzheim-2008-11-19

Marijuana compound beats Alzheimer’s drugs in study

Posted on January 9, 2013 by David

“THC, the key compound in marijuana, blocks the formation of brain-clogging plaques better than current Alzheimer’s drugs do. Medications like Aricept and Cognex work in much the same way as THC–by inhibiting the enzyme acetylcholinesterase–Researchers… point out that the compound THC… would likely be the key to developing new Alzheimer’s medications.”

http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/news-266060-98.html

Marijuana linked to preventing and treating Alzheimer’s disease

Posted on January 9, 2013 by David

“Alzheimer’s disease is the leading cause of dementia among the elderly, and with the ever-increasing size of this population, cases of Alzheimer’s disease are expected to triple over the next 50 years. Consequently, the development of treatments that slow or halt the disease progression have become imperative to both improve the quality of life for patients as well as reduce the health care costs attributable to Alzheimer’s disease.

Here, we demonstrate that the active component of marijuana, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), competitively inhibits the enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE) as well as prevents AChE-induced amyloid β-peptide (Aβ) aggregation, the key pathological marker of Alzheimer’s disease. Computational modeling of the THC-AChE interaction revealed that THC binds in the peripheral anionic site of AChE, the critical region involved in amyloidgenesis.

Compared to currently approved drugs prescribed for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, THC is a considerably superior inhibitor of Aβaggregation, and this study provides a previously unrecognized molecular mechanism through which cannabinoid molecules may directly impact the progression of this debilitating disease.”

http://www.agoracosmopolitan.com/news/health/2011/11/26/1936.html

Cannabis May Offer Alzheimer’s Hope, Study Says

Posted on January 9, 2013 by David

“Marijuana compounds offer an alternative approach for treating the neurodegeneration associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD)…

Investigators at the Trinity College, Institute for Neuroscience, in Dublin report that cannabinoids have been shown to protect neurons from the deleterious effects of amyloid plaque – the primary pathological hallmark of Alzheimer’s. Cannabinoids also demonstrate a propensity to reduce oxidative stress and inflammation, while also promoting neurogenesis (the birth of new neuronal cells), authors report.

Authors write: “In recent years the proclivity of cannabinoids to exert a neuroprotective influence has received substantial interest as a means to mitigate the symptoms of neurodegenerative conditions. … [C]annabinoids offer a multi-faceted approach for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease by providing neuroprotection and reducing neuroinflammation, whilst simultaneously supporting the brain’s intrinsic repair mechanisms by augmenting neurotrophin expression and enhancing neurogenesis. … Manipulation of the cannabinoid pathway offers a pharmacological approach for the treatment of AD that may be efficacious than current treatment regimens.”

Preclinical studies have demonstrated that cannabinoids can delay disease progression in animal models of several neurodegenerative diseases, including multiple sclerosis and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease).”-

Paul Armentano, NORML http://norml.org/news/2007/09/20/cannabis-may-offer-alzheimers-hope-study-says

Full text of the study, “Alzheimer’s disease; taking the edge off with cannabinoids?” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2190031/

Scientists claim cannabis can offer hope for Alzheimer’s sufferers

Posted on January 8, 2013 by David

“New cannabis-based treatments could improve memory loss in Alzheimer’s sufferers, scientists claim.

One of the 400 compounds in the drug can significantly slow memory problems caused by the disease, tests show.”

Cannabis and Alzheimer’s disease

Posted on January 7, 2013 by David

“‘Clearly in the test tube cannabinoids have the ability to block at least one of the probable causal mechanisms in Alzheimer’s disease and so become a potential treatment or preventative agent that needs to be tested in humans.”

Dr Richard Harvey, research director of the Alzheimer’s Society

Cannabis May Cut Alzheimer’s Risk – Discovery News

Posted on January 7, 2013 by David

“For those who have inhaled, there may be some good news: Marijuana use may cut the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease by reducing inflammation in the brain…

The findings may explain studies showing those who regularly used marijuana in the 1960s and 1970s are now less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease than their non-smoking contemporaries.

Under a National Institutes of Health grant, researchers used a synthetic drug similar to marijuana to treat rats with brain inflammation typically associated with Alzheimer’s disease, a form of dementia that afflicts 4.5 million people in the United States alone.”

Marijuana Ingredient May Help Alzheimer’s – WebMD

Posted on January 7, 2013 by David

“Chemical Counters Brain Problems in Alzheimer’s Disease, Says Spanish Study.

New clues about Alzheimer’s disease have emerged from a Spanish study of marijuana. The drug’s active ingredients — cannabinoids — help prevent brain problems seen in Alzheimer’s, say the scientists.

The findings showed that “cannabinoids work both to prevent inflammation and to protect the brain,” says researcher Maria de Ceballos in a news release. That “may set the stage for [cannabinoids’] use as a therapeutic approach for [Alzheimer’s disease].”

The cannabinoids completely prevented activation of cells that trigger inflammation. These cells gather near plaque and are believed to be involved in the development of Alzheimer’s disease.

“Our results indicate that cannabinoid receptors are important in the pathology of Alzheimer’s disease and that cannabinoids succeed in preventing the neurodegenerative process occurring in the disease,” write the researchers in the journal.”

www.thctotalhealthcare.com

Category Archives: News Stories

Israeli Research Shows Cannabidiol May Slow Alzheimer’s Disease

Does Smoking Marijuana Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease?

Pot joins the fight against Alzheimer’s, memory loss

Marijuana compound beats Alzheimer’s drugs in study

Marijuana linked to preventing and treating Alzheimer’s disease

Cannabis May Offer Alzheimer’s Hope, Study Says

Scientists claim cannabis can offer hope for Alzheimer’s sufferers

Cannabis and Alzheimer’s disease

Cannabis May Cut Alzheimer’s Risk – Discovery News

Marijuana Ingredient May Help Alzheimer’s – WebMD