THC and other compounds from marijuana reduce amyloid beta in Alzheimer's

Fourth year psych student here, focusing on neuroscience. High levels of amyloid beta plaque are one of the primary biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease and one of the main focuses in AZ research. A causal link has not yet been established, but the rationale behind trying to safely eliminate these proteins is that reducing their presence in vivo will slow the cognitive decline associated with the disease. My area of interest focuses on depression and other mood disorders, but there are some overlapping biological concepts here: in particular the role inflammation is thought to play in the development of psychopathology.

Inflammation in the brain is associated with a decline in glial cell function. If neurons are the hallways in the brain, glial cells are the janitors and carpenters. They are responsible for concentrations of neurotransmitters and other bioactive ions and molecules, as well as for the structural integrity of neuronal circuits, and a reduction in their function is associated with neuronal cell death, as those "hallways" fall into disrepair. If amyloid plaques are causing inflammatory responses that lead to cognitive decline associated with AZ, then reducing their presence may reduce cell death and prolong the sufferer's quality of life.

What seems to be happening here is that exogenuous cannibanoids (that is, ones that are not produced in the body) like THC are associated with decreases in amyloid plaques, which also suggests that some functional pathway associated with endocannibanoids may also be a factor in neuroprotection.

That last bit is interesting to me, as it opens up the possibilities for finding genomes that may be more vulnerable to the disease. Maybe there is a gene associated with endocannabinoid regulation that is partially responsible. Maybe there is some way to exploit the endocannabinoid system to boost neuroprotective functions. If so, that raises possibilities for interesting possibilities for treatment.

/r/psychology Thread Parent Link - neurosciencenews.com