POT MAY PROTECT BRAIN FROM ALZHEIMER'S

THC, the active component in marijuana, may protect the brain from the
ravages of Alzheimer's disease, U.S. scientists reported.

In lab experiments, investigators from Scripps Research Institute in
La Jolla, Calif., found THC appears to block an enzyme in the brain
that causes plaques to form better than currently approved drugs.

Alzheimer's is the leading cause of dementia among the elderly. An
estimated 290,000 Canadians over 65 have the disease - a number
expected to double during the next two decades. The progressive,
degenerative brain disease has no cure.

"I'm not at all suggesting you smoke pot," said Kim Janda, a professor
of chemistry and immunology at Scripps, who is working on developing
vaccines against cocaine, nicotine and other drugs. But his team's
work may provide a lead for more effective medications, he said.

It's the latest study to suggest the compound that produces a high
might also protect the brain. Marijuana-like compounds are already
being tested in mice against the fatal brain disease ALS, or Lou
Gehrig's disease.

People with Alzheimer's have low levels of acetylcholine, a brain
chemical believed to be important for learning and memory.

Existing drugs help ease symptoms of the disease by blocking an enzyme
that breaks down acetylcholine. Janda's team found THC
(delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) did the same but at lower
concentrations.

There are important limitations to the study. The experiments didn't
involve tests on human cells, or even mice. Instead, they used
synthetic versions of a peptide that causes brain plaques to form.