Ohio -- Give an old, confused rat some pot and it starts remembering things. An Ohio State University study shows that synthetic marijuana boosted memory and reduced brain inflammation in rats with brains altered to mimic the effects of Alzheimer’s disease. Researcher Gary Wenk, a study co-author and Ohio State professor, shared his work at the Society for Neuroscience meeting in Atlanta this week.

The findings support the theory that anti-inflammatories might help fight the devastating disease and add to evidence that compounds in pot might be helpful in treating Alzheimer’s, Wenk said.

While research showing the benefits of marijuana in multiple sclerosis cases has been advancing significantly, work in Alzheimer’s disease is still in its infancy.

"We need much more evidence," Wenk said.

The test animals in Wenk’s study were given WIN, a synthetic drug similar to marijuana.

Rats that had the drug and rats that didn’t were given three days to repeatedly navigate a water maze with an escape route.

On the fourth day, Wenk and his colleagues timed the rats.

In general, old rats are bad at navigating mazes.

But those given pot had a 50 percent improvement in memory and a 40 to 50 percent reduction in brain inflammation, Wenk said.

"If we can cut their impairment in half, that’s amazing in an old animal," he said.

"Old" in the rat world is about 24 months. Young rats’ memories also improved with the drug, but not as significantly.

Neither marijuana nor the synthetic substitute is a good candidate for humans, Wenk said.

"When you’re in your 60s, you don’t want to get high, you just want to prevent dementia," he said.

"Our challenge is to find a modified (drug) that is going to be an effective anti-inflammatory, but not make the patients high."

Brain inflammation isn’t the cause of Alzheimer’s disease, but it appears to play a significant role, said Wenk, who has studied the disease for two decades.

A recent study performed at the Scripps Research Institute in California found that THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, inhibits the formation of a brain plaque that is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease.

Researchers there said they were not advocating recreational drug use but had convincing evidence that marijuana had "remarkable" qualities compared with available medications.

In another study, Spanish researchers also found that rats given synthetic marijuana performed better on mental-function tests, leading them to conclude that the drug worked to prevent inflammation and protect the brain.

A handful of current treatments for Alzheimer’s work by preventing the breakdown of a chemical thought to be important to memory and thinking.

Another medication works by regulating glutamate, a brain chemical that can lead to braincell death when produced in excess.

The two often are used in conjunction, but they are limited in their effectiveness, Wenk said.

"We’re focusing on trying to find ways to maybe attack the other parts of the disease," he said.

An estimated 4.5 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease and that number could almost quadruple by 2050, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.

As for whether smoking marijuana has any benefit, that’s something that will take some time to sort out — at least as long as it takes for the regular smokers of the 1960s and ’70s to age and for scientists to sort out whether the pleasures of their youth brought good things in their golden years, Wenk said.

"Yes, millions of people have used marijuana, but they’re not old enough to be at risk."

Note: Study: Drug reduces brain inflammation found in Alzheimer’s.

A Molecular Link between the Active Component of Marijuana and Alzheimer's Disease Pathology
Web Release Date: August 9, 2006 Copyright © 2006 American Chemical Society, Lisa M. Eubanks, Claude J. Rogers, Albert E. Beuscher IV, George F. Koob, Arthur J. Olson, Tobin J. Dickerson, and Kim D. Janda*

Departments of Chemistry, Immunology, and Molecular Biology, Molecular and Integrated Neurosciences Department, The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, and Worm Institute for Research and Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California 92037

Received June 11, 2006

Abstract:

Alzheimer's disease is the leading cause of dementia among the elderly, and with the ever-increasing size of this population, cases of Alzheimer's disease are expected to triple over the next 50 years. Consequently, the development of treatments that slow or halt the disease progression have become imperative to both improve the quality of life for patients and reduce the health care costs attributable to Alzheimer's disease. Here, we demonstrate that the active component of marijuana, 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), competitively inhibits the enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE) as well as prevents AChE-induced amyloid -peptide (A) aggregation, the key pathological marker of Alzheimer's disease. Computational modeling of the THC-AChE interaction revealed that THC binds in the peripheral anionic site of AChE, the critical region involved in amyloidgenesis. Compared to currently approved drugs prescribed for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, THC is a considerably superior inhibitor of A aggregation, and this study provides a previously unrecognized molecular mechanism through which cannabinoid molecules may directly impact the progression of this debilitating disease.

Keywords: Cannabinoids; Alzheimer's disease; acetylcholinesterase

Ed note: I always thought my brain would change into the fried or smashed egg from the ONDCP ads but I guess it is quite the opposite but this is supposed to be a big pharmaceutical secret because they hate competition. Oh yeah, and when I'm in my 60s I definitely don't want to get high anymore... oops. Duh. What does Dr. Wenk drink or do to relax after all these positive findings does he light a pipe at night or does he get bam-boozled?

To sum it up Marijuana works but is politically incorrect and pharmaceutical drugs WILL kill your brain but are the "way to go..."

Or is the reality message we get from 'society' i.e. corporate controlled big media; "When you are in your 60s we actually want you to roll over and die" or "if you really are still alive by then, use our friends (and stocks) pharmaceutical 'products; (i.e. toxic) so at least we can get rich while you are still in your last throes and our drugs will finish you off. (and all the while smoking marijuana behind your back because WE know this is the best and we'll be laughing all the way to the bank) You have outlived your useful life and now you are a drag on the system.

Please also read: Long Term Exposure To Cannabis