It has been revealed that cannabis compounds remove Alzheimer’s proteins from the brain. Check out the latest reports about the matter below.
Cannabis compounds’ healing benefits
Researchers are still searching for the root cause of Alzheimer’s disease. However, recent studies have found that marijuana, a plant that has been avoided for many years, can provide relief for patients suffering from the disease.
Compounds found in marijuana have been found to reduce the levels of beta-amyloid proteins that accumulate in the nerve cells of Alzheimer’s patients.
This discovery is crucial, as currently over 5.5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s and dementia, and it is predicted that by 2050, these rates will triple.
Therefore, it is vital to identify effective treatments for Alzheimer’s, and marijuana may be one such treatment option that science has been overlooking.
For a long time, scientists have known that cannabinoid receptors are present in the brain and other organs. These receptors are made up of protein molecules that receive signals from various chemicals present in the body, known as neurotransmitters, including cannabinoids. Different types of cells have specific receptors that serve their unique purposes.
Effects of cannabinoids
Scientists have been studying the effect of cannabinoids on the brain and other body parts. Cannabinoid receptors have been found in brain and nerve cells in different parts of the body.
The presence of these receptors on immune system cells suggests that cannabinoids may have a role in immunity.
Western science has only recently begun exploring the impact of phytochemicals in cannabis on human health. However, due to cannabis remaining on the Drug Enforcement Agency’s Schedule 1 of prohibited controlled substances, further research on humans is severely restricted.
A recent study published in the journal Aging and Mechanisms of Disease examined the effect of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) found in marijuana on neurons implanted with amyloid beta – a toxic protein linked to Alzheimer’s disease. As the protein accumulates, it leaves plaques in the nerve cells of the brain.
Research studies have suggested that beta-amyloid plaques can cause a disruption in communication between neurons in the brain, which ultimately leads to symptoms that are associated with Alzheimer’s disease, such as impaired memory.
A recent study, led by Professor David Schubert of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, CA, found that an increase in beta-amyloid production can lead to an increase in the expression of pro-inflammatory proteins in nerve cells, which can cause inflammation and the death of nerve cells.
“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.”
