A study out of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in California has demonstrated that the psychoactive compound in cannabis, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), removes clumps of proteins from nerve cells which are believed to kick-start Alzheimer’s disease.
Scientists continue to struggle when it comes to preventing and treating Alzheimer’s. The illness affects about 50 million people worldwide. It is believed to result from a build-up of two types of substances in the brain’s nerve tissue. The first are amyloid beta proteins that clump together between the neurons. The second are neurofibrillary tangles that form inside the neurons due to defective tau proteins that have clumped together.
The recent medical study now offers hope for a possible treatment of Alzheimer’s patients. It reveals that THC aides in the removal of amyloid beta proteins that have accumulated between the neurons.