- Cannabis-based medicines could offer therapeutic relief for
symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD) and may also moderate the
course of the illness, according to a scientific review published
this month in the journal Current Medicinal Chemistry.
"Cannabinoids are antioxidant, inhibit glutamate toxicity, and they
also possess anti-inflammatory properties," authors state. "All
together, we can conclude that cannabinoid-based medicines could be
neuroprotective in the course of the disease, whereas [individual]
compounds ... might modulate the behavioral effects of ... PD motor
symptoms themselves."

Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder affecting the
basal ganglia that results in a loss of motor coordination, organ
failure, and death. The disease is characterized by a loss of
dopaminergic neurons, typically resulting from brain inflammation,
glutamate overproduction, and/or oxidative stress. The illness is
estimated to affect approximately 2 percent of the population over
age 65.

Survey data indicates that cannabis can provide subjective relief
for symptoms of PD, including bradykinsia (extreme slowness of
movement and reflexes), muscle rigidity, and tremor. However, a
recent clinical trial assessing the short-term use of oral THC on
symptoms of PD found the drug to have little immediate effect on
patients' movement
Frankfurt, Germany, December 21, 2006(Normal News)