In a recent study, published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease , researchers studied the effects of CBD, or cannabidiol , a cannabis compound known for its soothing and pain-relieving properties, on Alzheimer's disease.
They worked on the mouse and in particular on a familial form of Alzheimer's disease, that is to say when the disease is hereditary with symptoms of early onset.
The team demonstrated that CBD treatment appeared to increase levels of IL-33, a protein that helps the brain detect an accumulation of beta-amyloid, and TREM2 , a protein important for transmitting signals that activate immune cells, among other things, whose role is to eliminate any viruses but also damaged neurons.
CBD treatment increased IL-33 and TREM2 levels seven-fold and ten-fold, respectively.
The study also reports better cognitive scores in mice treated with CBD compared to Alzheimer's mice that did not consume this molecule.
The next step will be to determine the optimal doses of CBD to use, and the most efficient method of administration (spray or other).
According to researchers, it is also a safe bet that CBD is also effective in forms of Alzheimer's disease that are not familial.
A clinical trial could soon be carried out on this subject.
Bibliography
- Hesam Khodadadi, Évila Lopes Salles, Abbas Jarrahi, Vincenzo Costigliola, MB Khan, Jack C. Yu, John C. Morgan, David C. Hess, Kumar Vaibhav, Krishnan M. Dhandapani, Babak Baban. Cannabidiol Improves Cognitive Function via Regulation of IL-33 and TREM2 Upregulation in a Murine Model of Alzheimer's Disease . Journal of Alzheimer's Disease , 2021; 1 DOI: 10.3233/JAD-210026