Researchers discover THC’s ‘dual effect’ on brain cells
18 Jul 2016 by Evoluted New Media
A study at the Salk Institute has found that cannabinoids can remove the plaque-forming protein associated with Alzheimer’s disease, amyloid beta.
A study at the Salk Institute has found that cannabinoids can remove the plaque-forming protein associated with Alzheimer’s disease, amyloid beta.
Researchers found that nerve cells altered to produce amyloid beta demonstrated lower levels of the protein when exposed to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). The inflammatory response from the nerve cells caused by the protein was also eliminated, allowing the nerve cells to survive. The scientists believe this is the first time it has ever been demonstrated.
Salk Professor David Schubert, senior author of the paper published in Aging and Mechanisms of Disease, said: “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.”
Amyloid beta proteins have long been known to accumulate in ageing nerve cells within some brains before the onset of plaques and then Alzheimer’s symptoms.
Brain cells contain receptors that can be activated by endocannabinoids, a class of lipid molecules made by the body, used for intercellular signalling in the brain. The psychoactive effects of marijuana are caused by THC, a molecule structurally similar to endocannabinoids and one which can activate the same receptors. Physical activity also produces these molecules, with some studies showing that exercise may slow the progression of Alzheimer’s.
Antonio Currais, first author of the paper, said: “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 THC-like compounds that the nerve cells make themselves may be involved in protecting the cells from dying.”
The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health, the Burns Foundation and the Bundy Foundation. It can be found here.
