As far back as 2006, authors have stated that Alzheimer’s is the leading cause of dementia in the elderly and that it was expected to triple within 50 years. There is an ongoing search for treatments that can slow or halt the disease and improve the quality of life for sufferers.
The key pathological marker for Alzheimer’s is the build-up of toxic amyloid proteins in the brain, often referred to as “plaque”. One category of drugs used for treatment focuses on decreasing the aggregation of these proteins at peripheral sites.
This abstract stated that compared to (then) currently approved drugs, THC from cannabis (marijuana) is considerably superior at inhibiting that build-up, and was a mechanism of potential cannabinoid treatment which had been previously unrecognized.
