Cannabinoid receptors protect the brain from aging
The human population is steadily aging, which leads to an increase in the number of people with senile dementia. The factors determining the rate of brain degeneration have been studied very little to date. However, experts believe that a certain role in accelerating brain aging is played by such influences as stress, accumulation of toxic decay products and inflammatory processes. However, it is obvious that there must be some protective mechanisms in the body that prevent brain degeneration or repair its damage.
In search of these mechanisms, German researchers from the Universities of Bonn and Mainz, working under the guidance of Dr. Andras Bilkei-Gorzo, discovered a previously unknown function of type 1 cannabinoid receptors (CB1). These receptors can bind both to endocannabinoids synthesized by the body, which are necessary for the normal functioning of the brain and are responsible for a number of vital functions, and to plant-derived cannabinoids (phytocannabinoids) that provide the narcotic effect of marijuana. It turned out that, among other things, type 1 cannabinoid receptors perform an important function of protecting the brain from degeneration.
The researchers came to this conclusion after conducting a series of experiments on young 6-week-old mice, 5–month-old individuals in the prime of life and animals at an average age of 1 year for mice. The animals had to perform various tasks. At first they were looking for a platform placed under the water of the pool, which was subsequently moved, and the animals had to find it again. The behavior of the mice during this test reflected the level of their cognitive functions.
Genetically modified mice that did not have CB1 were markedly different from normal animals. They showed much worse learning and memorizing abilities. Analysis of their hippocampus –the region of the brain responsible for memory formation and information storage–showed signs of accelerated neuronal death. Moreover, researchers have identified numerous inflammatory processes in the brains of such mice. All these symptoms noticeably worsened as the animals aged.
The processes occurring in the mouse brain are in many ways similar to what is happening in the human brain. Therefore, the endocannabinoid system may well protect the human brain from aging. However, as in any other case, only a detailed study of the uncovered mechanism will allow identifying the signals mediating it and developing new drugs for the treatment of age-related neurodegenerative diseases.
Article by Onder Albayram et al. The role of CB1 cannabinoid receptors on GABAergic neurons in brain aging is published on July 5 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Evgeniya Ryabtseva
Portal "Eternal youth" www.vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of Universities of Bonn: Bodyguard for the Brain.
14.07.2011