Grandma Roody
Med Section Advisor
H Reading..?:Low-dose THC extinguishes brain inflammation and halts cognitive decline without the high
Learn more: Natural News
(NaturalNews) Researchers from Tel Aviv University in Israel recently published a cannabis study in the Journal of Neuroscience Research. Their findings indicate that low doses of cannabinoids, in particular ultra-low-dose tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), exerts a protective effect against cognitive deficits from brain inflammation.
A prior study from Brazil reported that cannabidiol (CBD) "could help ward off neuronal cell death in the face of neurodegradation," according to Medical Jane. Previous research demonstrated that an "ultra-low dose of THC (0.002 mg/kg)" protects the brain against cognitive deficits from a variety of insults that would ordinarily cause brain inflammation. [1]
The goal of the Israeli researchers, led by Miriam Fishbein-Kaminietsky, PhD, was to discover if low-dose THC could protect the brain from cognitive deficits after lab-induced brain inflammation. The researchers decided to do an in vivo lab study with mice that they injected with "10 mg/kg of lipopolysccharide (LPS)," which is known to cause brain inflammation.
Additionally, the mice were injected with "0.002 mg/kg of THC either 48 hours before LPS treatment or 1-7 days after LPS treatment." The rationale behind the protocol was to determine whether the timing of the THC dose could protect the mice brains from induced brain inflammation. Three weeks after the injections, the mice were tested.
Fishbein-Kaminietsky said of the study's results, "An ultralow dose of THC that lacks any psychotropic activity protects the brain from neuroinflammation-induced cognitive damage." [1]
The study clearly demonstrated that, although LPS causes brain inflammation, which results in chronic cognitive debilitation, the introduction of THC either before or after injection with LPS prevented inflammation-induced cognitive deficits. In other words, THC acted as both a preventive as well as a remedy against brain inflammation.
Further investigation revealed that, in order for the THC to be effective, CB1 receptors found mainly in the brain (endocannabinoid signaling system) needed to be activated.
The study suggests that minuscule doses of THC can prevent and heal cognitive deficits resulting from brain inflammation and other neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
The good news for older patients, who often fear the "high" associated with THC yet desire protection from brain inflammation, is that the neuroprotective benefits of THC are abundantly available at ultra-low doses that effectively mitigate the "high."
Granny
