Cannabis and Alzheimer's disease

This research found that cannabis-like compounds that occur naturally in the brain can prevent the toxic effect of amlyoid-beta protein, which is thought to be involved in the development of Alzheimer's disease.

Dr Richard Harvey, research director of the Alzheimer's Society says

'Clearly in the test tube cannabinoids have the ability to block at least one of the probable causal mechanisms in Alzheimer's disease and so become a potential treatment or preventative agent that needs to be tested in humans.

There is no epidemiological data on whether exposure to cannabis in humans affects the risk of developing dementia, and it may be difficult to collect such data.

We now have a very promising list of compounds (natural and artificial) that are potential disease modifying drugs for people with dementia. These include curcumin from curry powder, oestrogen, the statins and NSAIDs.'