Two surprising discoveries have been made about Alzheimer’s disease. First, researchers identified the molecular basis of the inflammatory response that is a symptom of the incurable disease. Second, they found that tetrahydrocannabbinol (TCH), which is the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, may be able to remove the buildup of the toxic protein that appears to cause that inflammation.
The study, which was published in June’s edition of the journal Aging and Mechanisms of Disease, was done by researchers at the Salk Institute. Lead researcher Professor David Schubert and his team performed the experiment by growing neurons in a lab and manipulating them to produce large amounts of beta amyloid, a protein that has a key relationship to Alzheimer’s.
Normal brains are able to metabolize beta amyloid, but brains affected by Alzheimer’s do not. The protein clumps together and forms plaques that interfere with brain function and cognition. However, when THC was introduced into the nerve cells the plaques disappeared, and so did the inflammation they were causing.
The researchers say that the THC appears to work by activating the receptors in the brain that communicate to the cells that the protein should be broken down. According to Antonio Currais, one of Schubert’s researchers, “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. 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.”
The inflammation-reducing properties of cannabis have been known for a long time, properties that are partly what makes marijuana an effective treatment for chronic pain and autoimmune disorders. However, there have been few investigations into using marijuana to treat Alzheimer’s disease.
More than 44 million people worldwide suffer from Alzheimer’s, and one in nine Americans over the age of 65 are affected by it. It is expected that by 2050, more than 16 million adults may have the disease if no cause, treatment or cure is found.