{"id":1711,"date":"2018-05-26T08:35:04","date_gmt":"2018-05-26T08:35:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dingo.news\/voice\/?p=1711"},"modified":"2023-10-31T02:11:58","modified_gmt":"2023-10-30T18:11:58","slug":"marijuana-compound-removes-toxic-alzheimers-protein-from-the-brain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dingo.news\/voice\/marijuana-compound-removes-toxic-alzheimers-protein-from-the-brain\/","title":{"rendered":"Marijuana Compound Removes Toxic Alzheimer’s Protein From The Brain"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Science Alert | Health<\/span><\/span><\/a> An active compound in marijuana called tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) has been found to promote the removal of toxic clumps of amyloid beta protein in the brain, which are thought to kickstart the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.<\/span><\/div>\n

The finding supports the results of previous studies that found evidence of the protective effects of cannabinoids, including THC, on patients with neurodegenerative disease.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Although other studies have offered evidence that cannabinoids might be neuroprotective against the symptoms of<\/span> Alzheimer’s<\/span><\/a>, we believe our study is the first to demonstrate that cannabinoids affect both inflammation and amyloid beta accumulation in nerve cells,”<\/span> says one of the team<\/a><\/span>, David Schubert from the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in California. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Schubert and his colleagues tested the effects of THC on human neurons grown in the lab that mimic the effects of Alzheimer’s disease.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you’re not familiar with this special little compound, it’s not only responsible for the majority of marijuana’s psychological effects – including the high – thanks to its natural pain-relieving properties, it’s also been touted as an<\/span> effective treatment<\/a><\/span> for the symptoms of everything from HIV and chemotherapy to chronic pain, post traumatic stress disorder, and<\/span> stroke<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

In fact, THC appears to be such an amazing medical agent, researchers are working on<\/span> breeding genetically modified yeast<\/span><\/a> that can produce it way more efficiently than it would be to make synthetic versions.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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The compound works by passing from the lungs to the bloodstream, where it attaches to<\/span> two types of receptors<\/a><\/span>, cannabinoid receptor (CB) 1 and 2, which are found on cell surfaces all over the body.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In the brain, these receptors are most concentrated in neurons associated with pleasure, memory, thinking, coordination and time perception, and usually bind with a class of lipid molecules called endocannabinoids that are produced by the body during physical activity to promote cell-to-cell signalling in the brain. <\/span><\/p>\n

But THC can also bind to them in much the same way, and when they do, they start messing with your brain’s ability to communicate with itself.<\/span><\/p>\n

They can be a good and a bad thing, because while you might forget something important or suddenly be incapable of swinging a baseball bat, you’ll probably feel amazing, and want to eat all the snacks:<\/span><\/p>\n

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