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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Marijuana-like chemicals in the brain may one day lead to an effective treatment for Parkinson's disease.
In a study conducted with mice, a drug designed to slow the breakdown of the body's own endocannabinoids, which are similar chemicals found in marijuana, led to a nearly immediate and dramatic improvement in Parkinson-like symptoms. Within 15 minutes, mice previously unable to move at all were scampering around freely.
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The medication works in conjunction with a standard Parkinson's drug aimed at replenishing the brain's reserve of dopamine. Dopamine helps maintain brain pathways involved in keeping uncontrolled motion in check.
So, should Parkinson's patients start smoking marijuana? The researchers say no. "It turns out the receptors for cannabinoids are all over the brain, but they are not always activated by the naturally occurring endocannabinoids," reports study author Robert Malenka, M.D., Ph.D., from Stanford University School of Medicine in Palo Alto, Calif. "That is a really important difference, and it is why we think our manipulation of the chemicals is really different from smoking marijuana."
While clinical studies in humans are a long way off, Dr. Malenka and his colleagues believe they have uncovered a potentially new avenue for Parkinson's disease therapies.
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, which offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, click on: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
SOURCE: Nature, published online Feb. 8, 2007
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