I'll vote on the side of "prevents," just because its the kind of guy I
AM: A defender of SCIENCE!!!

Marijuana-like Ingredient Could Slow Alzheimer's

Wed Feb 23, 5:02 PM ET

By Janice Billingsley
HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 23 (HealthDay News) -- By suppressing inflammation in
the brain, a synthetic marijuana compound could potentially offer some
protection against Alzheimer's disease (news - web sites), Spanish
scientists report.

The researchers, who studied the brain tissue of deceased Alzheimer's
patients, discovered that many of these patients lose the function of
important cannabinoid brain receptors, which seem to guard against
cognitive decline.

They further discovered in a rat study involving synthetic marijuana
that when these brain receptors were working, they reduced the brain
inflammation that is associated with Alzheimer's.

"This is the first time the effects of such damage have been found in
Alzheimer's patients," said study co-author Maria de Ceballos, head of
the neurodegeneration group at the Cajal Institute, Spain's largest
neuroscience research center, in Madrid. "Previously, it has been known
only in those with acute brain damage from trauma."

The findings appear in the Feb. 23 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience.

The researchers studied cannabinoid receptors called CB1 and CB2, which
are proteins that bind with cannabinoids, the active ingredients of
marijuana. The synergy between these receptors and cannabinoids are
known to provide protective effects against inflammation in the brain.

In the first part of their study, they compared the brain tissue of
deceased Alzheimer's patients to similar tissue from healthy people who
had died at the same age. Those who suffered from Alzheimer's had
significantly reduced functioning of their cannabinoid receptors
compared to the healthy group, which meant those with the disease had
lost the capacity to experience the protective effects of cannabinoids.

Then, in a series of rat experiments, the scientists found cannabinoids
reduced inflammation in the brain and prevented cognitive decline.

To find this, the researchers injected amyloid, a protein that
activates immune cells and leads to cognitive decline, into the brains
of one group of rats. Another group of rats received injections of a
control protein. A third group of rats were injected with cannabinoids
along with amyloid, and a last group received cannabinoids with the
control protein.

After two months, the researchers trained the rats over five days to
find a platform hidden underwater. Rats treated with the control protein
-- with or without the cannabinoids -- and those treated with the
amyloid protein and the cannabinoids were able to find the platform. The
rats treated with the amyloid protein alone did not learn how to find
the platform.

The scientists further confirmed that the amyloid protein activated the
rats' brains' immune cells, causing inflammation, but that the
cannabinoids counteracted this effect and reduced the inflammation.

de Ceballos said the findings suggest that those who are known to be at
risk for Alzheimer's could benefit from using cannabinoids to slow the
progression of the disease.

But she added that much work remains to be done before this can be put
to clinical use.

Alzheimer's experts also warned this is very preliminary work because
it only studied tissue in animals to find the beneficial effects of the
cannabinoids, and, as such, is far from an endorsement of marijuana use
in preventing Alzheimer's.

"The paper doesn't reflect any thought that people should use marijuana
as any kind of therapeutic agent for Alzheimer's. It would be
irresponsible to suggest that," said William Thies, vice president of
medical and scientific affairs for the Alzheimer's Association.

By looking at a new possible agent that could be useful in moderating
the pathology of Alzheimer's, he said,  the study joins others examining
the possible ways that the disease advances, including the effects of
cholesterol, inflammation and the presence of amyloid proteins.

"Certainly every one of these papers that gives us new possibilities to
explore is welcome," he said.

Information about the amyloid protein that is a part of Alzheimer's
disease can be found at The National Institute of Aging.

--

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