THC and Alzheimer's Disease - Elise Howard

Elise Howard                                                                                                                           Blog Post #3

THC and Alzheimer’s Disease

We currently live in a country with an aging population with the Baby Boomer generation reaching the 65 year mark and the 65 and older population is expected to keep growing. This is the age that puts people at higher risk for developing Alzheimer’s. With the 65 and over population projected to double by 2030 they will make up approximately 20% of the total U.S. population. As this number rises, so do the number of Alzheimer’s disease cases (Thies & Bleiler, 2013). Because of these increases cases, there is a great need to find medications and treatments that aim to delay or prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.

A study done by Eubanks et al. (2006) shows that the primary active ingredient in marijuana, delta⁹-THC competitively inhibits acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and even inhibits AChE-induced beta-amyloid plaques in the brain which are hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease. Acetylcholinesterase terminates neurotransmitter transmission by hydrolyzing the neurotransmitter acetylcholine (ACh) which is responsible for many functions in the central nervous system, is notably responsible for neurotransmission pertaining to memory and thought processes. Currently, AChE inhibitors are used to reduce the rate that AChE hydrolyzes ACh which increases the amount of ACh available in the brain (Eubanks et al., 2006).

The study that Eubanks et al. (2006) shows that delta⁹ THC performs as a great beta-amyloid plaque inhibitor as well as gives more insight into a previously unrecognized biological pathway that may be responsible for great strides in treating a disease that currently has a great impact on a large percentage of our population and will continue to ail more people in the future (Eubanks et al., 2006).

References

Eubanks, L. M., Rogers, C. J., Beuscher IV, A. E., Koob, G. F., Olson, A. J., Dickerson, T. J., & Janda, K. D. (2006). A molecular link between the active component of marijuana and Alzheimer's disease pathology. Molecular Pharmaceutics, 3(6), 773-777. Retrieved from http://pubs.acs.org.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/doi/pdfplus/10.1021/mp060066m

Thies, W., & Bleiler, L. (2013). 2013 Alzheimer’s disease facts and figures. Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association, 9(2), 208–45. doi:10.1016/j.jalz.2013.02.003