MARIJUANA MIGHT PROTECT BRAIN, STUDY FINDS

WASHINGTON, July 6 (Reuters) - Some of the chemicals in marijuana may
protect the brain from the damage caused by injuries and stroke, researchers
reported on Monday.

The chemicals, known as cannabinoids, work independently of marijuana's
better-known effects, which include a dreamy state, distortion of the senses
and a euphoric feeling known as a ``high,'' Aidan Hampson and colleagues at
the National Institute of Mental Health found.

Writing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Hampson's
team said cannabinoids could block the effects of other chemicals that kill
cells when oxygen is cut off -- which is what happens in a stroke caused by
a blood clot.

Hampson's findings were made using brain cells from foetal rats in a
test-tube, so they are a long way from any tests on humans. But he said the
results were intriguing.

The two cannabinoids tested are cannabidiol and THC -- the active ingredient
in marijuana that causes its psychoactive effects.

They are already known to have other effects, too. They can relieve nausea
and are used for this by AIDS patients and patients taking strong drugs for
cancer. They can relieve pain and they also relieve pressure on the eye
sometimes and have been tested against glaucoma, for instance.

There is also evidence they worked to protect nerve cells against damage.
Hampson's team tested this idea.

In a stroke, blood flow is blocked by a clot. Cells release huge amounts of
glutamate, a neurotransmitter or message-carrying chemical. This
overstimulates nerve cells and kills them.

Chemicals known as antioxidants can block this effect, but so can
cannabinoids, Hampson's team wrote.

They said cannabidiol seemed an especially promising candidate.

Checked-by: Melodi Cornett