Clumps of protein in the brain, called beta-amyloid plaques, are the primary marker of Alzheimer\u2019s disease. For long, scientists knew that these clumps interfered with memory signals in the brain \u2014 but they weren\u2019t sure how.<\/p>\n
Now a team from\u00a0<\/span>Stanford University School of Medicine\u00a0<\/span>has traced the effects of beta-amyloid plaque to activity of the brain\u2019s endogenous cannabinoids, orendocannabinoids. These compounds are produced naturally by the brain and mimic the effects of compounds in cannabis. Among many functions, cannabinoids play a key role in memory and learning.<\/p>\n Looking at brain slices taken from rats, the researchers observed that clumps of beta-amyloid indirectly impaired memory pathways by interfering with the normal activity of cannabinoids.<\/p>\n This interference with the brain\u2019s cannabinoids may be the mechanism by which early memory deficits in Alzheimer\u2019s are formed, says Daniel Madison, PhD, who led the study. Cannabinoids may also present a new opportunity for treating Alzheimer\u2019s before the disease advances, he adds.<\/p>\n The findings were published June 18 2014\u00a0in the journal\u00a0<\/span>Neuron.<\/p>\n However, Dr. Madison says it would be inaccurate to assume that smoking cannabis could counteract the effects of beta-amyloid plaque on memory and learning.<\/p>\n \u201cEndocannabinoids in the brain are very transient and act only when important inputs come in,\u201d explains Dr. Madison. Marijuana\u2019s main ingredient, THC, has a much longer-lasting effect, he notes.<\/p>\n \u201cExposure to marijuana over minutes or hours is different: more like enhancing everything indiscriminately, so you lose the filtering effect. It\u2019s like listening to five radio stations at once.\u201d<\/p>\n On the other hand, a\u00a0<\/span>2013 study\u00a0<\/span>by researchers from Neuroscience Research Australia suggests an ingredient in marijuana called CBD could be beneficial. The team, led by Tim Karl, PhD, found that treatment with CBD led to\u00a0<\/span>drastic improvements\u00a0<\/span>in memory in mice genetically engineered to mimic Alzheimer\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n Besides the potential to combat Alzheimer\u2019s symptoms,\u00a0<\/span>some studies\u00a0<\/span>suggest cannabinoids also hold promise in slowing progression of the disorder.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Clumps of protein in the brain, called beta-amyloid plaques, are the primary marker of Alzheimer\u2019s disease. For long, scientists knew that these clumps interfered with memory signals in the brain \u2014 but they weren\u2019t sure how. Now a team from\u00a0Stanford University School of Medicine\u00a0has traced the effects of beta-amyloid plaque to activity of the brain\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1596","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n