alzheimer's disease Archives

Study: CB2 Receptor Activation a “Useful Therapeutic Approach for Alzheimer’s Disease”

May 8, 2018 by Anthony Martinelli

Activation of the body’s CB2 receptors, something done naturally through the consumption of cannabis, is a “useful therapeutic approach for Alzheimer’s disease”, according to a new study.

“Alzheimer’s disease is a multifactorial disorder for which there is no disease-modifying treatment yet”, states the abstract of the study, published in the journal CNS Drugs. “CB2 receptors have emerged as a promising therapeutic target for Alzheimer’s disease because they are expressed in neuronal and glial cells and their activation has no psychoactive effects.”

The aim of this study was “to investigate whether activation of the CB2 receptor would restore the aberrant enhanced proliferative activity characteristic of immortalized lymphocytes from patients with late-onset Alzheimer’s disease. It is assumed that cell-cycle dysfunction occurs in both peripheral cells and neurons in patients with Alzheimer’s disease, contributing to the instigation of the disease.”

Study: Cannabis has Therapeutic Potential in the Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease

April 12, 2018March 28, 2018 by Anthony Martinelli

Cannabis may provide a potential treatment option for those with Alzheimer’s disease, states a new study published by the journal Neurochemical Research.

“Here we demonstrate for the first time that cannabidiol (CBD) acts to protect synaptic plasticity in an in vitro model of Alzheimer’s disease (AD)”, begins the study’s abstract. “The non-psycho active component of Cannabis sativa, CBD has previously been shown to protect against the neurotoxic effects of beta amyloid peptide (Aβ) in cell culture and cognitive behavioural models of neurodegeneration. Hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) is an activity dependent increase in synaptic efficacy often used to study cellular mechanisms related to memory.”

Here, researchers “show that acute application of soluble oligomeric beta amyloid peptide (Aβ_1-42) associated with AD, attenuates LTP in the CA₁ region of hippocampal slices from C57Bl/6 mice. Application of CBD alone did not alter LTP, however pre-treatment of slices with CBD rescued the Aβ_1-42 mediated deficit in LTP.” The study found “that the neuroprotective effects of CBD were not reversed by WAY100635, ZM241385 or AM251, demonstrating a lack of involvement of 5HT_1A, adenosine (A_2A) or Cannabinoid type 1 (CB₁) receptors respectively. However in the presence of the PPARγ antagonist GW9662 the neuroprotective effect of CBD was prevented.”

Cannabinoids May Treat Alzheimer’s Disease, Finds New Study

May 30, 2017 by Anthony Martinelli

Cannabinoids may provide an effective treatment option for Alzheimer’s disease, according to new research published in the European Journal of Pharmacology, and e-published ahead of print by the U.S. National Institute of Health.

“Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by neuroinflammation, extensive deposits of amyloid-β aggregates, and loss of memory and cognitive abilities”, states the study’s abstract. “The brains of patients with AD [Alzheimer’s disease] show increased expression of cannabinoid receptor type 2 (CB₂) receptors and glial markers. CB₂ receptors act as a negative feedback regulator; when activated by a CB₂ agonist, they can help limit the extent of the neuroinflammatory response and the subsequent development of neuronal damage in the central nervous system.”

In a double transgenic APP/PS1 mice model of AD, researchers evaluated the effect of a CB2 agonist (meant to mimic the effects of cannabinoids) on several neuropathological conditions of AD including “amyloid deposition, inflammatory reaction, Sox2 (sex-determining region Y-box 2) expression, and spatial memory.”

Georgia Medical Marijuana Bill Signed Into Law by Governor

May 9, 2017May 8, 2017 by Anthony Martinelli

Georgia’s governor has signed into law a measure that significantly expands the state’s limited medical marijuana law.

Governor Nathan Deal signed Senate Bill 16 into law today, roughly a month and a week after it was passed by the full legislature; it passed the Senate with a 45 to 6 vote, and was passed by the House of Representatives with a vote of 167 to 4 vote

The new law greatly expands the list of conditions that qualify an individual to legally use low-THC marijuana medicines (such as oils and tinctures) to include Tourette’s Syndrome, autism spectrum disorder, epidermolysis bullosa, Alzheimer’s disease, AIDS (when “such syndrome is diagnosed as severe or end stage”) and peripheral neuropathy.

Georgia House Passes Medical Cannabis Expansion Measure with 167 to 4 Vote

March 28, 2017 by Anthony Martinelli

Georgia’s full House of Representatives has voted to expand the state’s medical cannabis law.

Senate Bill 16 was passed by the House today with a 167 to 4 vote; the proposal has already been passed by the full Senate.

The proposed law would expand the list of conditions that qualify an individual to legally use cannabis-based medicines to include Tourette’s Syndrome, autism spectrum disorder, epidermolysis bullosa, Alzheimer’s disease, AIDS (when “such syndrome is diagnosed as severe or end stage”) and peripheral neuropathy.

These conditions would join cancer, ALS, multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease, mitochondrial disease, Parkinson’s disease and sickle cell disease as qualifying medical cannabis conditions.

Georgia Medical Marijuana Bill Passed by House Committee

March 17, 2017 by Anthony Martinelli

A key House committee has given approval to a Georgia bill that would greatly expand the state’s medical marijuana program.

Senate Bill 16 would expand a 2015 law that allows for the medical use of cannabis oil by adding six new conditions that qualify someone to become a legal medical cannabis patient. Those conditions are AIDS, autism, Alzheimer’s disease, epidermolysis bullosa, Tourette’s syndrome and peripheral neuropathy.

The bill would also make some other changes, including removing a one-year residency requirement for those wanting to become patients, and altering a quarterly reporting requirement by physicians to a bi-yearly report. Another change is that it allows those from out-of-state to be covered by Georgia’s medical marijuana law for up to 45 days if they are a patient in their home state and have a condition that Georgia’s law covers.

Georgia House Passes Medical Marijuana Bill

March 1, 2017March 1, 2017 by Anthony Martinelli

Georgia’s full House of Representatives has passed a bill that would significantly expand a medical marijuana law passed in 2015.

House Bill 65, sponsored by State Representative Allen Peake (R), was passed with an overwhelming 156 to 6 vote. The measure would expand a law passed in 2015 that allows for the medical use of low-THC cannabis medicines like tinctures and oils to include Alzheimer’s disease, autism, HIV/AIDS, autoimmune disease, Tourette’s syndrome epidermolysis bullosa and peripheral neuropathy as qualifying conditions.

The bill approved by the House would remove a one-year residency requirement for those wanting to become a medical cannabis patient. It would also allow those with medical cannabis cards from other states to legally possess and use the medicine in Georgia.

New Mexico Panel Votes to Add Opiate Use Disorder, Alzheimer’s Disease as Medical Cannabis Conditions

November 7, 2016 by Anthony Martinelli

New Mexico’s Medical Advisory Board voted 5 to 1 to recommend medical cannabis for “opiate use disorder” and Alzheimer’s disease.

The board also voted to allow medical cannabis to be recommend via telemedicine. This includes physicians meeting with patients through Skype and other online programs. The recommendations go to the Department of Health which has the final say on whether to accept them.

Officials believe that there are roughly 33,000 people in New Mexico with opiate use disorder. This is a huge increase from just a year ago, when the number was around 18,000.

The board also stated that the number of plants patients are allowed to cultivate should be increased.

Study: Cannabis an Effective Medicine in Early and Late Stage Dementia

August 29, 2016 by Anthony Martinelli

A new study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease has found that cannabis is not only an effective medicine in the early stages of dementia, it’s also effective in its late stages.

“Previous reports have demonstrated that the combination of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) botanical extracts, which are the components of an already approved cannabis-based medicine, reduce the Alzheimer-like phenotype of AβPP/PS1 transgenic mice when chronically administered during the early symptomatic stage”, begins the study’s abstract. “Here, we provide evidence that such natural cannabinoids are still effective in reducing memory impairment in AβPP/PS1 mice at advanced stages of the disease”.

THC Stimulates Toxic Plaque Removal in the Brain, Blocks Inflammation, Finds Study

July 25, 2016 by Anthony Martinelli

A new study published in Nature Partner Journals has found that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) stimulates toxic plaque removal in the brain; toxic plaque in the brain is common in Alzheimer’s disease. The study also found that THC blocks inflammation in the brain, which can damage neurons.

“It is reasonable to conclude that there is a therapeutic potential of cannabinoids for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease,” says David Schubert, a professor at Salk Institute for Biological Studies who was involved with the study.