Health and Fitness

THC Neuroprotective In Model Of Parkinson Disease


Plymouth, United Kingdom–(ENEWSPF)–March 29, 2012.  The administration of THC is protective against neuronal injury in a human Parkinson’s disease (PD) cell culture model, according to data to be published in the journal Neuropathology and Applied Neurobiology. Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative brain disorder marked by involuntary movements.

Investigators at the University of Plymouth in the United Kingdom assessed the protective properties of THC on brain cells exposed to PD-relevant toxins.

Researchers reported that THC was protective against all three of the toxins tested in the study. By contrast, separate administration of the non-psychotropic cannabinoid CBD (cannabidiol) and the synthetic cannabinoid agonist WIN55,212-2 “were unable to elicit the same neuroprotection.”

Previously reported survey data of patients diagnosed with PD found that nearly half of respondents who tried cannabis experienced therapeutic benefit from it, including the relief of tremors and muscle rigidity.

Full text of the study, Δ(9) -THC exerts a direct neuroprotective effect in a human cell culture model of Parkinson’s disease, appears online in the journal Neuropathology and Applied Neurobiology.

Source: norml.org


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