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-Short Attention Span Theater-
Majaweenie May Help Curb Alzheimers
2006-10-05
A Molecular Link between the Active Component of Marijuana and Alzheimer's Disease Pathology
Abstract:
Alzheimer's disease is the leading cause of dementia among the elderly, and with the ever-increasing size of this population, cases of Alzheimer's disease are expected to triple over the next 50 years. Consequently, the development of treatments that slow or halt the disease progression have become imperative to both improve the quality of life for patients and reduce the health care costs attributable to Alzheimer's disease. Here, we demonstrate that the active component of marijuana, 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), competitively inhibits the enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE) as well as prevents AChE-induced amyloid -peptide (A) aggregation, the key pathological marker of Alzheimer's disease. Computational modeling of the THC-AChE interaction revealed that THC binds in the peripheral anionic site of AChE, the critical region involved in amyloidgenesis. Compared to currently approved drugs prescribed for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, THC is a considerably superior inhibitor of A aggregation, and this study provides a previously unrecognized molecular mechanism through which cannabinoid molecules may directly impact the progression of this debilitating disease.
Keywords: Cannabinoids; Alzheimer's disease; acetylcholinesterase
I have my doubts.
Posted by:Deacon Blues

#9  Bozo's!

They didn't smoke the stuff! They mixed it with methanol (that's wood alcohol, ie not the drinkin' stuff)!

Actually, and with all seriousness, anything that helps with Alzheimers' would be a blessing for the entire human race (I experienced it up close and personal with a great grandmother while I was growing up - watching her regress progressively to a child was absolutely shattering to a 10-yr old kid; I've also seen it afflict a friend of mine and his wife - they left the states to return to the UK to pursue treatment options that were not legal here, but before they left the degradation of a once gracious lady's personality was heartbreaking to say the least).

Posted by: FOTSGreg   2006-10-05 22:31  

#8  OMG, and I thought the buffet lines were bad during 'Seniors hour' before!
Posted by: mcsegeek1   2006-10-05 19:04  

#7  A bag in every corner.

Where're the corners?
Posted by: Shipman   2006-10-05 18:59  

#6  only if you can't remember where you put the cheetos
Posted by: Frank G   2006-10-05 18:35  

#5  And even if it doesn't, you probably won't care...
Posted by: tu3031   2006-10-05 17:18  

#4  If you smoke enough dope, how would you even know if you had alzheimers? But seriously, studying something that takes your memory away, as pot does, may indeed provide some insights. I'm sure it's not hard to get volunteers for their study.
Posted by: anon   2006-10-05 17:08  

#3  Hey, I may be in a minority here ... but if they are retired and therefor are not needed to be productive members of society but should try to avoid being major drains on resources(like Atzheimer's is)... Who cares what they are doing!
Posted by: 3dc   2006-10-05 14:16  

#2  Natures way of enabling one to constantly be meeting....new people.
Posted by: Besoeker   2006-10-05 13:43  

#1  My theory is that the short term memory loss makes people forget that they have Alzheimers.
Posted by: DoDo   2006-10-05 13:40  

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