“The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential therapeutic qualities of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) with respect to slowing or halting the hallmark characteristics of Alzheimer’s disease…
These sets of data strongly suggest that THC could be a potential therapeutic treatment option for Alzheimer’s disease through multiple functions and pathways.”
“Endocannabinoids act as retrograde messengers that, by inhibiting neurotransmitter release via presynaptic CB(1) cannabinoid receptors, regulate the functionality of many synapses. In addition, the endocannabinoid system participates in the control of neuron survival.
Thus, CB(1) receptor activation has been shown to protect neurons from acute brain injury as well as in neuroinflammatory conditions and neurodegenerative diseases.
Cannabinoid neuroprotective activity relies on the inhibition of glutamatergic neurotransmission and on other various mechanisms, and is supported by the observation that the brain overproduces endocannabinoids upon damage.
Besides promoting neuroprotection, a role for the endocannabinoid system in the control of neurogenesis from neural progenitors has been put forward. In addition, activation of CB(2) cannabinoid receptors on glial cells may also participate in neuroprotection by limiting the extent of neuroinflammation.
Altogether, these findings support that endocannabinoids constitute a new family of lipid mediators that act as instructive signals in the control of neuron survival.”
“…endogenous cannabinoid signaling mechanisms may represent a key component of cell-survival programs mobilized in the injured brain.
In addition to their neuroprotective effects, cannabinergic systems may also have an important role in brain development…
…expression of endocannabinoids and cannabinoid receptors in brain…
Neurogenesis, or the birth of new neurons, continues to occur beyond development and into adulthood, and several lines of evidence suggest that cannabinoid signaling may be involved in this process as well…
In addition to the well known effects of growth factors, a variety of drugs has been shown to influence adult neurogenesis. These include excitatory amino acid receptor antagonists, antidepressants, lithium, nitric oxide donors, phosphodiesterase inhibitors, and statins.
Together with the finding that neurogenesis can be regulated by cannabinoids, these observations imply that a broad range of pharmacological approaches may exist through which to modify neurogenesis for therapeutic purposes.”
“Advocates for medical marijuana can take heart over the findings of two Canadian research teams.
A synthetic cannabinoid — similar to the compounds found in marijuana, but substantially stronger — causes the growth of new neurons and reduces anxiety and depression, investigators at the University of Saskatchewan here reported.
And researchers at the University of Calgary said they’ve found evidence that the brain contains so-called CB2 cannabinoid receptors, previously seen in immune tissue but thought not to exist in brain tissue. The discovery, they added, could lead to new drugs to treat nausea associated with cancer or AIDS.
Most so-called drugs of abuse — such as alcohol or cocaine — inhibit the growth of new neurons, according to Xia Zhang, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Saskatchewan.
“Only marijuana promotes neurogenesis,” Dr. Zhang said.”
http://www.medpagetoday.com/Psychiatry/AnxietyStress/1934
“A synthetic substance similar to ones found in marijuana stimulates cell growth in regions of the brain associated with anxiety and depression, pointing the way for new treatments for these diseases, according to University of Saskatchewan medical research published today in The Journal of Clinical Investigation.
Xia Zhang, an associate professor in the U of S neuropsychiatry research unit, led the team that tested the effects of HU-210, a potent synthetic cannabinoid similar to a group of compounds found in marijuana. The synthetic version is about 100 times as powerful as THC, the compound responsible for the high experienced by recreational users.
The team found that rats treated with HU-210 on a regular basis showed neurogenesis – the growth of new brain cells in the hippocampus. This region of the brain is associated with learning and memory, as well as anxiety and depression.
The effect is the opposite of most legal and illicit drugs such as alcohol, nicotine, heroin, and cocaine.
“Most ‘drugs of abuse’ suppress neurogenesis,” Zhang says. “Only marijuana promotes neurogenesis.””
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/10/051016083817.htm
“THC has an antagonistic effect against histamine on the isolated perfused guinea-pig lung and rabbit kidney. This antagonism seems to be a competitive one at the concentrations used and interacts with histamine at H1-receptors. THC also antagonizes the effect of acetylcholine, PGE2, angiotensis II and histamine in the isolated continuously superfused guinea-pig ileum by a non-competitive manner. The antagonism between THC and histamine on the isolated superfused rabbit aortic strips was found to be highly specific, since 100% relaxation was obtained when the muscle contracted by histamine but not by the equipotent doses of angiotensin II and noradrenaline. THC also causes a significant increase in survival time of guinea-pigs when the animals were exposed to histamine aerosol. These results indicate a specific antagonism of THC against histamine in the preparations used in this investigation.”
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/239651
“antihistaminic /an·ti·his·ta·min·ic/ (-his-tah-min´ik)
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Tending to neutralize or antagonize the action of histamine or inhibit its production in the body.
n.
An antihistaminic drug.”
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“Scientific evidence shows that an hypofunction or a dysregulation of the endocannabinoid system may be responsible for some of the symptoms of diseases such as multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Huntington’s, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases.
The aim of this review is to highlight the role of endocannabinoid system in neurodegenerative diseases
Scientific evidence shows that cannabis can provide symptomatic relief in several neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis, Huntington’s, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. These findings imply that a hypofunction or a dysregulation of the endocannabinoid system may be responsible for some of the symptoms of these diseases. Moreover, given the abundance of CB1 receptors in areas associated with movement and executive thought, researchers’ interest has often focused on endocannabinoid levels in patients with motor degenerative disorders.
The important role played by endocannabinoid system promises interesting developments, in particular to evaluate the effectiveness of new drugs in both psychiatry and neurology.”
“Ethan B. Russo’s paper of December 1, 2003 explored the concept of a clinical endocannabinoid deficiency (CECD) underlying the pathophysiology of migraine, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome and other functional conditions alleviated by clinical cannabis.
Available literature was reviewed, including searches via the National Library of medicine database and other sources.
A review of the literature indicates that significant progress has been made since Dr. Ethan B. Russo’s landmark paper, just ten years ago (February 2, 2004). Investigation at that time suggested that cannabinoids can block spinal, peripheral and gastrointestional mechanisms that promote pain in headache, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome and muscle spasm.
Subsequent research has confirmed that underlying endocannabinoid deficiencies indeed play a role in migraine, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome and a growing list of other medical conditions. Clinical experience is bearing this out. Further research and especially, clinical trials will further demonstrate the usefulness of medical cannabis. As legal barriers fall and scientific bias fades this will become more apparent.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24977967
“Huntington’s disease (HD) is an inherited neurological disease with motor, cognitive and psychiatric symptoms. Characterised by neuronal degeneration, HD pathology is initially apparent in the striatum and cortex.
Considerable research has recently suggested that the neurological immune response apparent in brain injury and disease may provide a valuable therapeutic target.
Cannabinoid CB2 receptors are localised and up-regulated on a number of peripheral immune cell types following inflammation and injury.
…our observation that CB2 is present on blood vessel cells, with increased CD31 co-localisation in HD may represent a new context for CB2 therapeutic approaches to neurodegenerative diseases.”
“Endocannabinoids are bioactive amides, esters and ethers of long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids. Evidence suggests that activation of the endocannabinoid pathway offers cardioprotection against myocardial ischemia, arrhythmias, and endothelial dysfunction of coronary arteries.
…may represent a novel therapeutic approach to cardioprotection.”