Marijuana may slow the brain inflamation believed to contribute to age-related degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, researchers said at the annual meeting of the Society of Neuroscience yesterday.
Using rats with brain inflammation similar to that of humans with these diseases, Ohio State University researchers found that older rats treated with WIN, a synthetic drug similar to marijuana, were able to remember the details of a water maze they had been taught significantly better than rats in the control group.
Noting its strong anti-inflammatory effects, researchers say they now aim to find a drug with similar effects but lacking the psychoactive properties of marijuana.