ATLANTA
, Oct. 19 (UPI) -- An anti-inflammatory compound in marijuana has been found by an Ohio State University researcher to slow the onset of Alzheimer's disease in older rats.
Psychology Professor Gary Wenk said a synthetic form of the compound was administered to older rats and they were able to find their way through a familiar maze faster than rats who had not been given the compound.
In presenting his findings to the Society for Neuroscience meeting in Atlanta
, Wenk said the findings are only a first step
, the New York Daily News reported.
"That's not going to cure Alzheimer's disease
, but it's going to help a lot because by reducing inflammation we're going to rescue some neurons -- we're going to help you not decay so fast
," he said.
Wenk's research is funded by the federal government
, and he said the next challenge will be to find a similar and legal compound that reduces brain inflammation without triggering a high.
"You can't add a high onto a dementia. You're just going to make the person more impaired
," he said.
