A study published recently in the International Journal of High Risk Behavior and Addiction, and published online by the U.S. National Institute of Health, has found that cannabinoids may treat the symptoms of a large variety of neurodegernative diseases including multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Huntington’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease.
“The aim of this review is to highlight the role of endocannabinoid system in neurodegenerative diseases”, claims the abstract of the study, which researchers call “a critical analysis of the most recent data currently present in scientific literature on the subject; a qualitative synthesis of only the most significant articles has been performed.”
According to researchers; “In central nervous system, endocannabinoids show a neuromodulatory function, often of retrograde type. This way, they play an important role in synaptic plasticity and in cognitive, motor, sensory and affective processes.”
They continue; “In addition, in some acute or chronic pathologies of central nervous system, such as neurodegenerative and neuroinflammatory diseases, endocannabinoids can perform a pro-homeostatic and neuroprotective function, through the activation of CB1 and CB2 receptors.”
Researchers conclude that; “Scientific evidence shows that an hypofunction or a dysregulation of the endocannabinoid system may be responsible for some of the symptoms of diseases such as multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Huntington’s, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases… The important role played by endocannabinoid system promises interesting developments, in particular to evaluate the effectiveness of new drugs in both psychiatry and neurology.”
The dysregulation of the endocannabinoid system can be altered by the intake of cannabinoids, which both activates and regulates the body’s cannabinoid receptors, giving this study impotant implications for the potential of cannabinoids to treat neurodegernative diseases.
The study can be found by clicking here.
Source: thejointblog.com
