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Madrid (pte014/23.02.2005/10:30) - An active ingredient in marijuana may stop the decline brought on by Alzheimer's disease, new research suggests. As the BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk reports, scientists have shown that a synthetic version of the compound may reduce inflammation associated with Alzheimer's and thus help to prevent mental decline. The researchers, from Madrid's Complutense University http://www.ucm.es and the Cajal Institute http://www.cajal.csic.es hope that the cannabinoid may be used to develop new drug therapies. Their results are published in the Journal of Neuroscience.
The scientists first compared the brain tissue of patients who died from Alzheimer's disease with that of healthy people who had died at a similar age. They examined closely brain cell receptors to which cannabinoids bind, allowing their effects to be felt. They also studied structures called microglia, which activate the brain's immune response. Microglia collect near the plaque deposits associated with Alzheimer's disease and, when active, cause inflammation.
The researchers found a dramatically reduced functioning of cannabinoid receptors in diseased brain tissue. This was an indication that patients had lost the capacity to experience cannabinoids' protective effects. The researchers then tested the effect of cannabinoid on rats injected with the amyloid protein that form's Alzheimer's plaques. Those animals who were also given a dose of a cannabinoid performed much better in tests of their mental functioning. The Spanish researchers found that the presence of amyloid protein in the rats' brains activated immune cells. However, rats that also received the cannabinoid showed no sign of microglia activation. By using cell structures, the researchers confirmed that cannabinoids counteracted the activation of microglia and thus reduced inflammation.
"These findings that cannabinoids work both to prevent inflammation and to protect the brain may set the stage for their use as a therapeutic approach for Alzheimer's disease," said researcher Maria de Ceballos. "This is important research because it provides another piece of the jigsaw puzzle on the workings of the brain," added Susanne Sorensen, head of researchers at the Alzheimer's society. "There is no cure for Alzheimer's disease, so the identification of another target for drug development is extremely welcome. The Alzheimer's society looks forward to seeing further research being carried out on cannabinoid receptors as drug targets for Alzehimer's disease, but would warn the public against taking marijuana as a way of preventing Alzheimer's."
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