Chemicals in marijuana may help protect brain cells from the inflammation that often leads to Alzheimer’s disease. This flies in the face of conventional wisdom that marijuana smokers are forgetful and may be doing lasting damage to their brains. If anything, the DEA would probably assume that marijuana and Alzheimer’s disease is a cause and effect situation.
The Science Behind the Headlines:
The new contradictory research comes from the Salk Institute where investigators examined the impact of tetrahydrocannabinol [THC] and other cannabinoids on the accumulation of beta amyloid protein in nerve cells (Aging and Mechanisms of Disease, online, June 23, 2016). In tissue culture, the nerve cells that have more beta-amyloid protein become inflamed and die. As people age, beta amyloid and similar proteins accumulate and have been linked to degeneration of neurons.
Marijuana and Alzheimer’s Disease: It’s All About Beta Amyloid:
Activating the cannabinoid receptors on the nerve cells by exposing them to marijuana compounds prevents the accumulation and toxicity of beta-amyloid. The compounds help the cells get rid of beta-amyloid that otherwise builds up within them and eventually kills them.
The investigators note that:
“Age and chronic systemic inflammation are risk factors for many CNS diseases, including depression and Alzheimer’s, and the elevation of peripheral inflammation in old individuals frequently leads to cognitive decline.It follows that there is a complex interrelationship between nerve cell proteotoxicity, inflammation, aging and CNS disease.”
Dr. David Schubert, one of the key researchers involved in this study told the publication the Observer:
“The government doesn’t want to fund clinical trials and drug companies can’t make a profit. Until the social structure changes and the laws change, it’s gonna be difficult to sort this out. We want to make people aware of marijuana’s potential to treat neurological diseases.”
Based on the results of their study, the researchers suggest that early intervention might help prevent the development or progression of Alzheimer’s disease.
Other Research on Marijuana and Alzheimer’s Disease:
You might be surprised to learn that this is not the first study to show a link between cannabinoid compounds and reduced damage from beta-amyloid protein. Researchers have been looking at this relationship for over a decade.
Italian scientists noted in the Journal of Neurochemistry (April, 2004) that one component of Cannabis sativa (marijuana) could protect nerve cells from the toxicity of beta amyloid.
In the journal Molecular Pharmaceutics (Nov-Dec, 2006) an articled titled “A Molecular Link Between the Active Component of Marijuana and Alzheimer’s Disease Pathology” suggested that:
“…our results provide a mechanism whereby the THC molecule can directly impact Alzheimer’s disease pathology…thereby simultaneously treating both the symptoms and progression of Alzheimer’s disease.”
Sadly, there are few convincing clinical trials to suggest that marijuana can slow deterioration from Alzheimer’s disease. As Dr. Schubert laments above, such large-scale trials would need to be funded by the government and so far there has not been much interest in doing so.
We wish there were more and better data on marijuana and Alzheimer’s disease. Until someone decides to fund such research we are left with some tantalizing, but preliminary data to suggest there might be a positive outcome.
If you would like to learn far more about medical marijuana, you may wish to listen to our one-hour radio interview with David Casarett, MD. He is author of the book Stoned: A Doctor’s Case for Medical Marijuana. Here is a link to show # 1027 in which we discuss both the pros and cons of this ancient herb.
