Cannabis Could Be Key to Preventing Neurodegenerative Diseases Good News Network
go to original February 23, 2022

Cannabis could hold the key to preventing neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, as it contains a chemical that protects brain cells against aging, according to new research.

What’s more, the ‘miracle compound’ CBN (cannabinol) is non-psychoactive. In other words, it doesn’t get people high.

Senior author Professor Pamela Maher said, “We’ve found cannabinol protects neurons from oxidative stress and cell death - two of the major contributors to Alzheimer’s.

“This discovery could one day lead to the development of new therapeutics for treating this disease and other neuro-degenerative disorders - like Parkinson’s disease.”

Studies on medical cannabis have focused on the active substances THC (delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol).

Little is known about the therapeutic powers of CBN - which is molecularly similar but less heavily regulated.

The team at The Salk Institute in California previously identified the neuro-protective properties. Now they have worked out the mechanism.

Lab experiments showed CBN stops a type of cell death called oxitosis. The process is triggered by the loss of an antioxidant called glutathione.

In experiments, nerve cells were treated with CBN - before oxidative damage was stimulated.

Further analysis found CBN boosted mitochondria - the power stations of cells.

In damaged neurons, oxidation caused them to curl up like donuts - a change that’s been seen in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s.

Impregnating cells with CBN maintained their healthy shape - and kept them functioning well.

When the test was replicated in nerve cells with mitochondria removed, CBN was no longer effective - confirming the finding.

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