Mar 14, 2022

New Findings on Neurodegenerative Disease: Cannabinoids & the Brain

Two new studies published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Free Radical Biology and Medicine point to findings that the cannabinoid compounds cannabidiol and cannabinol may have an effect on the function of brain cells. This exciting research paves the way for future exploration into cannabinoid compounds and neurodegenerative disorders.

Neurodegenerative Diseases

Neurodegenerative disorders are diseases that occur due to "progressive damage to cells and nervous system connections." They affect a range of functions, including language, respiration, mobility, balance, and heart function.

This group of diseases is generally classified in three ways: the symptoms and features of the disease, the abnormality apparent in molecules, or the distribution of neurodegeneration in the body. There are a variety of disorders that fall under these groups, including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's, Friedreich ataxia, and spinal muscular atrophy.

Causes of Neurodegenerative Diseases

One of the main issues in developing treatments and preventions for neurodegenerative disorders is that the causes are varied and sometimes undetectable. That said, scientists believe that there are a few leading causes of these disorders, though the degree to which each impacts a person's risk depends on the individual:

Genetics: a family history of a neurodegenerative disease increases a person's chance of developing the same condition.
Age: the risk of certain disorders increases with age.
Lifestyle: factors such as alcohol consumption, physical activity, diet, and smoking play a role in the risk of developing neurodegenerative disorders.
Environmental factors: exposure to pesticides, fungicides, insecticides, metals like arsenic and lead, consumer product chemicals, pollution, and other toxins may also have an effect on the development of this class of disorders.

Treatments for Neurodegenerative Diseases

Scientists and researchers have been working on treatments for the full range of neurodegenerative disorders since they were first diagnosed. Though there are treatment options that may decrease symptoms and improve quality of life, there are no known preventions or cures for this type of disease. However, with millions of experts working on finding superior treatment options, as well as thousands of studies underway with a focus on these diseases, we may see more effective treatment options in the near future.

Alzheimer's Disease: A Neurodegenerative Disorder

Alzheimer's disease is one of the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorders worldwide, affecting around 6.2 million Americans, according to a report released by the Alzheimer's Association. The disease is the most common type of dementia (at 60-80% of dementia cases) and is the 6th leading cause of death for adults in the U.S. Rates of Alzheimer's are expected to climb even higher, potentially reaching 14 million by 2060.

Like other neurodegenerative diseases, experts can't pinpoint the exact causes of Alzheimer's from individual to individual, but they expect that a few major factors play a role. In particular, a combination of genetics and environmental exposures is suspected to be a significant cause of many cases of Alzheimer's. Other risk factors, like a sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy diet, substance use, and others, may also affect the likelihood of developing the disease.

Symptoms of Alzheimer's include: memory loss, difficulty learning new things, impacted attention span, personality shifts, challenges with mobility, and other cognitive and physical changes.

Alzheimer's In the Brain

Alzheimer's disease occurs like other neurodegenerative disorders: with damage to neurons and connections within the brain. When the neurons in the brain are damaged, the network connections between those neurons are also impacted.

Treatments for Alzheimer's are currently only able to support brain function and health and manage the symptoms of the disease, not prevent or cure it. Several medications on the market, including one called aducanumab, remove amyloid from the brain, one of the suspected components of Alzheimer's effect on the brain.

Researchers continue to probe for novel treatments and cures for Alzheimer's. A quick search for treatment options online shows more than 119 million results, from alternative care to prescription pills. Among those results are a series of studies and trials on the impact of certain substances on cells. The aim of these studies is to detect a compound or future medication that treats cells and can be later used in humans. Several of those studies are looking at compounds from the cannabis plant and how they may affect proteins, cells, and inflammation in the brain.

CBN in Human Cells

One study published in February of 2022 explored the relationship between cannabinol (CBN), a compound in the cannabis plant, and nerve cells. Researchers, led by research professor Pamela Maher, PhD, followed up on findings from an earlier study in the same laboratory on the neuroprotective properties of CBN. The most recent study built upon those findings to investigate how CBN delivers its neuroprotective effects.

The team studied oxytosis, a process that happens in aging brains that experts believe may be a cause of Alzheimer's disease. The process is said to cause damage to neural cells by way of lipid oxidation and may be caused by the loss of antioxidants, specifically glutathione.

To examine the effect of CBN on preventing the oxytosis process, the researchers "treated nerve cells with CBN, and then introduced an agent to stimulate oxidative damage." While normally the mitochondria of neuron cells would coil inwards, often seen in cells drawn from Alzheimer's patients, the findings showed that CBN protected the mitochondria. The CBN prevented them from coiling, maintaining proper function. A further experiment found that CBN did not offer protection when added to nerve cells with removed mitochondria. The findings also showed that CBN did so without activating cannabinoid receptors.

This and other studies have found that CBN, like other cannabinoid compounds, is safely used by humans and animals. In addition, the ability of CBN to affect cells without interacting with cannabinoid receptors shows that it could work in different cell types.

CBD in Mice

An earlier study, published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, examined the effect of CBD, or cannabidiol, on proteins and inflammation in mice.

In their discussion, the researchers noted the barriers and ambitions for Alzheimer's treatments, explaining why this study was a crucial step forward. Currently, two classes of drugs are used to treat the disease, but neither of these classes addresses the "pathophysiology" or physiological processes associated with Alzheimer's disease. This study did so by assessing the impact of CBD on the systems that affect or are affected by Alzheimer's disease.

The experiment administered a two-week course of CBD through the stomachs of a group of mice with familial Alzheimer's disease. Notably, the CBD servings were classified as "high dose." Brain function in the mice was tested through memory tasks and movement, two impacted functions in humans living with Alzheimer's. Findings showed that the process "restored the function" of proteins TREM2 and IL-33, two proteins closely connected with reducing the build-up of plaque that is commonly associated with Alzheimer's disease.

Scientists believe TREM2 and IL-33 are essential components in the human brain's immune cell function, specifically the ability of those cells to remove plaque and other dead cells in the brain. Alzheimer's patients have been found to have decreased levels of the two proteins. The study also found that the compound affected the levels of IL-6, a protein connected with inflammation, another facet of Alzheimer's.

Conclusion

The importance of these studies lies not just in what they can tell us about cannabinoids and neurodegenerative disease but in what they tell us about other experimentation needed in the future. There is currently no research, nor are there any approved medications, that support the idea that cannabinoids could be used as a viable treatment. However, these two studies are just a few of many recent and coming trials investigating the potential effects of cannabinoids like cannabidiol on the brain.

At Science-Rite CBD™, we closely follow news related to scientific findings in the world of cannabidiol and other cannabinoids. Follow along to stay up to date on the news from the cannabidiol industry.

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Two studies investigate the affect of cannabis compounds on mice affected by familial Alzheimer's disease and human brain cells, protein, and inflammation.

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