Cannabis has a series of accusations that it does affect your memory and thinking ability, but now, according to a team of researchers it may actually help with the effects of brain ageing.
Scientists from the Salk Institute have found that a tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and other compounds which are found in marijuana can also promote in cellular removal of amyloid beta, a toxic protein associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
Smoking could be helpful for Alzheimer’s patients
While these exploratory studies has been conducted in neurons grown in the laboratory, they may offer insight into the role of inflammation in Alzheimer’s disease and does provide clues to developing novel therapeutics for the disorder.
The researchers have also found that high levels of amyloid beta which is associated with a cellular inflammation and higher rates of neuron death.
They had demonstrated that exposing the cells to THC reduced amyloid beta protein levels and further eliminated the inflammatory response from the nerve cells caused by the protein, allowing the nerve cells to survive.
This study appeared in the journal Aging and Mechanisms of Disease.
