Marijuana Compound removes Toxic Alzheimer’s Protein from the Brain

Marijuana Compound removes Toxic Alzheimer’s Protein from the Brain

Marijuana can treat Alzheimer’s thanks to the presence of a natural relaxant.

Alzheimer’s is a chronic neurodegenerative disease that may seem avoidable at the start but it worsens rapidly over time. It is one of the most costly diseases in developed countries. Short-term memory loss is one of the early symptoms of this disease. It is so common that people sometimes confuse Alzheimer’s with memory loss. In the later stages of the disease, patients develop behavioral issues and withdraw themselves from their friends and family.

Similarly, other symptoms include mood swings, problems with language, disability to perform self-care activities, and disorientation. Ultimately, the body stops performing compulsory functions which leads to the death of the patient. It usually shows up when you cross the age of 65 years. According to an estimate, there were 29.8 million patients with Alzheimer’ in 2015. It is the root cause of nearly 70% of Dementia cases which killed about 1.9 million people in 2015.

The reason for such alarming results lies in the fact that humans have a poor understanding of this fatal disease. According to a common belief, about 70% of the risk is linked with the genetics of the patient. Most of the times, multiple genes are involved. Other than that, problems like depression, head injuries, and hypertension can also lead to Alzheimer’s. It is difficult to diagnose this disease as all the early symptoms are interpreted as signs of aging. Examination of brain tissue is necessary in order to make a confirmed diagnosis. Having said that, cognitive testing with medical imaging and blood tests and the historical knowledge of the illness can also be used for making a probable diagnosis.

As scientists are unsure about the details of Alzheimer’s, humanity has no idea how to cure this disease. However, there are ways of improving the symptoms, temporarily. A lot of medicines and exercises, both mental and physical, were tried but none of them showed any improvement in the condition of the patient. In these circumstances, a recent finding has struck the medical world with surprise.

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According to this report, Marijuana can help us treat Alzheimer’s as it contains a special compound called Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) which speeds up the removal of toxic Amyloid Beta-protein from the human brain. The current belief of medical professionals suggests that this protein is responsible for initiating the Alzheimer’s. David Schubert, a representative of the research team from the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in California, told the world about the positive effects of cannabinoids on human brain by saying,

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.”   

This compound accounts for most of the psychological effects of Marijuana. The sensation of getting high also comes because of it as it is an outstanding natural relaxant. It is considered an effective treatment for symptoms of many fatal diseases including stroke, HIV, and chemotherapy to chronic pain. Following its medical benefits, researchers are working on breeding genetically modified yeast that will then produce natural THC which is much more efficient than its synthetic counterpart. The team of Schubert tested this compound on a lab-grown human neuron that had the effects of Alzheimer’s.

THC moves from the lungs of a Marijuana smoker to his blood. Once it is there, it attaches with two kinds of receptors which are known as Cannabinoid receptor (CB) 1 and 2. They are found on the surface of all the cells of human body. They are most concentrated in those neurons of the brain which deals with memory, thinking, and coordination. THC forms a bond with them and messes with the brain’s ability to interact with itself. This is a gamble that can go either way as the end result could be positive or negative. As inflammation in the brain leads to Amyloid plaques, scientists believe that there is some connection inflammation and Alzheimer’s. A member of the team, Antonio Currais, explained that in the following words:

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 that THC-like compounds that the nerve cells make themselves may be involved in protecting the cells from dying.”  

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