Researchers are looking at THC, the active ingredient of marijuana to find a way to stop the progression of Alzheimer’s.

It is suggested that THC might inhibit an enzyme that accelerates the formation of amyloid placques and reduces the levels of acetycholine in the brain during the course of Alzheimer’s.

“We’re not advocating smoking dope, but if we can make analogues of THC, it could play a role in treating Alzheimer’s,” researcher Kim Janda, a chemist at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif., told LiveScience. “It would be nice to do more animal studies along these lines.”

Heavy marijuana use can have deleterious effects on the brain.

Read the full article at Live Science

Researchers at the Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute report that the intake of caffeine equivalent to five cups of coffee a day, protected memory in Alzheimer’s mice and lowered the levels of the abnormal protein, beta-amyloid. Even when the mice had already high levels of beta-amyloid in their brains, intake of caffeine brought them down to lower levels.

“We were surprised to find that Alzheimer’s mice given caffeine in their drinking water throughout adult life performed much better than Alzheimer’s mice not given caffeine and very similar to normal mice without the disease,” said Dr. Gary Arendash, Ph.D, lead researcher in the study.

This research is in line with earlier research in humans that showed Alzheimer’s patients had a lower caffeine intake during the 20 years preceding diagnosis compared with age-matched individuals without Alzheimer’s disease.

Johnnie B. Byrd, Sr. Alzheimer’s Center & Research Institute.

Well, three apples actually – or, two 8oz glasses of apple juice. Those are the equivalent amounts that humans would need to consume to match the amounts given to laboratory animals in a study that seems to indicate that consuming apples can improve memory.

Antioxidants in apples may help slow the decline of the neurotransmitter, acetylcholine, in the brain. Studies have shown that increasing the amount of acetylcholine in the brain can slow the mental decline of people suffering from Alzheimer’s.

Previous studies have shown that foods rich in antioxidants can slow brain-aging and boost memory.

Scientists believe boosting levels of an enzyme, Uch-L1, could help Alzheimer’s patients to restore memory. Brains affected by Alzheimer’s tend to be low in Uch-L1.

Scientists studied mice who had been given a shot to block Uch-L1 and found they were less likely to respond to training and learn. They also found that within three weeks after injecting mice who had brain plaque with the enzyme Uch-L1, they began to learn at the rate of healthy mice.

The enzyme has potential as a treatment in Alzheimers but needs much more study before it’s ready for human testing, the researchers said.

Enzyme May Help Memory in Alzheimer’s