Oct. 19, 2006 — For those who have inhaled, there may be some good news: Marijuana use may cut the risk of
developing Alzheimer's disease by reducing inflammation in the brain,
researchers reported this week.
The findings, released at the Society for Neuroscience meeting in
Atlanta, may explain studies showing those who regularly used marijuana in
the 1960s and 1970s are now less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease
than their non-smoking contemporaries.
Under a National Institutes of Health grant, researchers used a
synthetic drug similar to marijuana to treat rats with brain
inflammation typically associated with Alzheimer's disease, a form of
dementia that afflicts 4.5 million people in the United States alone.
"Inflammation in the brain is part of aging," said Ohio State
University researcher Gary Wenk. "It happens to almost all of us as
we age. But in some cases, this inflammation gets out of hand and
causes serious damage."
The compound, called WIN-55212-2, was given to some rats daily for
three weeks. The rodents then were made to navigate a water maze, a
typical test for memory and learning.
Both young and old rats given the synthetic marijuana did better on
the test, said Wenk, a psychology and neuroscience researcher who
headed the study.
"Old rats tend to be pretty bad at navigating the maze," Wenk said.
"It's kind of like an elderly person trying to find his way around a
house that he's not familiar with."
