Study: 2-week high-dose CBD cure helps restore function of two key Alzheimer's proteins
A recent study found that a two-week course of high doses of CBD can restore the function of two different proteins that are essential in reducing the effects of Alzheimer's disease.
According to a study published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, a two-week course of high doses of CBD helps to restore the function of two proteins keys to reducing the build-up of certain plaques in the brain, a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, and improving cognition in a murine model of early-onset Alzheimer's disease.
Familial Alzheimer's disease is an inherited version of the disease whose symptoms begin to appear in people between the ages of 30 and 40. About 10 to 15% of patients suffer from this hereditary version.
Cannabidiol improves cognitive function
Dr Babak Baban, immunologist and associate dean for research at Augusta Georgia Dental College in Georgia, explained in a press release that CBD reduced levels of the IL-6 protein, which is associated with the high levels of inflammation found in Alzheimer's disease. The cannabinoid also improved cognition in the mouse models used in the study.
The researchers found that CBD appeared to normalize the levels of IL-33 and TREM2, which increased seven-fold and ten-fold, respectively. When these two proteins are weak, it's a clear indication of the disease, the researchers said. This is the first time that CBD has been observed to normalize these levels.
There is an urgent need for innovative therapeutic modalities to improve the outcomes of patients with Alzheimer's disease. Our results suggest that CBD treatment improved IL-33 and TREM2 expression, improved AD symptoms, and delayed cognitive decline.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33612548/
La Food and Drug Administration expected to make a decision in early June on a new drug aducanumab, which would be the first to attack and help remove beta-amyloid.
According to the researchers, the next steps will be to determine the optimal doses, to administer the CBD earlier in the disease process and to move on to potential clinical trials. They are also studying delivery systems, including the use of an inhaler that could help deliver CBD more directly to the brain.
