Journal of Neuroscience

[Alison Myrden]

Just passing this on from another List serve I'm on...

 

Fabulous news for those afflicted!

 

Love and stuff,

 

 

Alison

xx

 

 

 

 

FYI

 

 

Colleagues,

 

A just published study appearing in the September 5th edition of the Journal

of Neuroscience adds to the growing body of evidence that cannabinoids may

halt the progression of certain neurodegenerative diseases, such as

Alzheimer's, ALS, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson's.

 

In this study, French investigators reported that the in vitro (in a petri

dish) and in vivo (in animals) administration of the nonpsychoactive

cannabinoid cannabidiol (CBD) inhibits prion accumulation in the brain and

protects neurons against prion toxicity. Prion accumulation (the

accumulation of abnormal, protein-based infectious particles in the brain)

is the cause of various transmissible, fatal neurodegenerative diseases in

both humans and animals (so-called transmissible spongiform encephalopathies

or TSEs). The most prominent of these diseases in animals is bovine

spongiform encephalopathy -- commonly known as �Mad Cow� disease; the most

common in humans is Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease -- a form of brain damage. No

therapeutic treatments for prior-diseases are currently available.

 

Investigators at the National Center for Scientific Research reported that

the administration of CBD �limited the cerebral accumulation of

protease-resistant prion protein and significantly increased the survival

time� in a dose-dependent manner in animals infected with a strain of prion

disease (murine scrapie). Investigators further reported that prion

proteins were "barely detectable" in CBD-treated mice, whereas "substantial

amounts of protease-resistant prion protein were present in the brains" of

untreated mice. The administration of a synthetic agonist (agent that also

binds to the cannabinoid receptors) did not work as effectively as CBD.

 

�Our results suggest that CBD may protect neurons against the multiple

molecular and cellular factors involved in the different steps of the

neurodegenerative process, which takes place during prion infection,�

authors concluded. �When combined with its ability to target the brain and

its lack of toxic side effects, CBD may represent a promising new anti-prion

drug.�

 

Previous preclinical studies of CBD have shown the compound to inhibit

malignant cancer cell growth (including breast cancer and brain cancer) and

protect neurons against ethanol-induced brain damage.

 

Separate studies have demonstrated that cannabinoids -- including THC -- can

delay disease progression in animal models of several, more common

neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer�s, multiple sclerosis, and

Lou Gehrig's disease. It's unclear whether a similar mechanism of action

may be taking place in all of these instances, but it's clear that this is

an area of research for cannabinoids that holds great potential.

 

Full text of the study, �Nonpsychoactive Cannabidiol Prevents Prion

Accumulation and Protects Neurons against Prion Toxicity,� appears in the

Journal of Neuroscience. Abstracts of the study are available online at:

http://www.jneurosci.org/cgi/content/abstract/27/36/9537. A summary of this

study also appears in today's NORML press release.

 

Regards,

-- Paul Armentano Senior Policy Analyst NORML | NORML Foundation

paul@... 925-930-7327 (land) 703-606-7539 (cell)

****************************************************** Come to NORML's

36th Annual National Conference 'Cannabis, Creativity and Commerce'

October 12-13, 2007 Los Angeles, CA Act now for discount rooms and

reduced registration costs... Special 'Student' and 'Senior Citizen'

discounts available www.norml.org | 888-67-NORML

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9/13/2007 11:45 AM

[Frazz]

Many Thanks Alison, I love the news you bring us .. i make sure my CBD levels are constantly at the high end of the scale so i should be right

 

[Alison Myrden]

My pleasure Frazzle...

 

I'm really glad these things I post are appreciated. I love you guys here. I've been coming for a while and you guys are so excellent to me. Besides I have family in Australia - they don't smoke and don't agree. I just hope they will get some of what we are doing in Canada via you guys AND family...

 

 

Goo d to hear you will be healthy because you smoke so much ....

Me too...

 

Just wanted to let you all know that you ALL Rock!

 

Happy Monday...

 

Alison

xx

Edited September 17, 2007 by Alison Myrden

[jojothepotfiend]

shit.....i'd better take up smoking