Marijuana to help treat Alzheimer’s disease: Study

“Although other studies have offered evidence that cannabinoids might be neuroprotective against the symptoms of Alzheimer’s, we believe our study is the first to demonstrate that cannabinoids affect both inflammation and amyloid beta accumulation in nerve cells,” said David Schubert from Salk Institute, US. 

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive brain disorder that leads to memory loss and can seriously impair a person’s ability to carry out daily tasks.

Scientists have found preliminary evidence that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and other compounds found in marijuana can promote the cellular removal of amyloid beta, a toxic protein associated with Alzheimer’s disease. It has long been known that amyloid beta accumulates within the nerve cells of the ageing brain well before the appearance of Alzheimer’s disease symptoms and plaques, researchers said. Amyloid beta is a major component of the plaque deposits that are a hallmark of the disease. 

But the precise role of amyloid beta and the plaques it forms in the disease process remains unclear, they said. The findings were published in the journal Ageing and Mechanisms of Disease.