Can Marijuana Stop Dementia?

Dementia is a typical problem of the brain where memory of the person gets affected and is unable to recollect or remember anything. This condition is characterized by loss of memory, difficulty in communication and most importantly trouble in performing daily activities. Dementia mainly occurs due to inflammation in part of brain cells. This inflammation or brain cells destruction can occur due to sudden stroke, brain tumor or even head injury. Dementia can be the result of natural process of aging or due to damage of cells because of Alzheimer’s disease. Several research studies indicate that inflammation in brain may accelerate dementia.

A new research study suggests that parts of marijuana have proved to be beneficial in treating memory loss. It has been seen that some constituents of marijuana has anti-inflammatory properties and it is this characteristic of marijuana that can help in treating inflammation in brain cells. Inflammation of brain cells is a part of aging but there can be situations when inflammation goes out of control and that results in deadly diseases such as dementia or even Alzheimer.

In an experiment by a group of scientists, synthetic drug with components similar to marijuana were administered to a group of rats. The result showed that both young and old rats exhibited considerable improvement in memory with even reduced inflammation of brain cells in some old rats. There were other experiments as well that showed drug acted on parts of brain that was responsible for appetite, memory, mood and even pain.

Research studies from Ohio State University conclude that a synthetic drug similar to marijuana triggers production of brain cells and neurons and help cut inflammation. The most important component of marijuana is the chemical tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Medicines based on this chemical compound have been in use to keep dementia at bay, and this is proven and widely accepted.

There are also evidences that suggest people who smoked marijuana in 1960s and 1970s rarely developed memory loss or Alzheimer’s disease. However use of marijuana cannot be recommended because of its psychoactive properties. The challenge is to find a drug or a synthetic substitute to marijuana without its negative impact that is without making the patients feel dizzy and high as in the case of smoking marijuana. So the need is to find a compound that will help treat neurogenesis and inflammation in an efficient way to produce best results.

However, the focus as of now is to find a pill or pills that will reduce brain inflammation without adverse effects of marijuana.