Memory, Aging and Cognition Centre, National University Health System, Singapore.
Neurochem Int. 2010 Dec;57(8):985-9. doi: 10.1016/j.neuint.2010.10.010. Epub 2010 Oct 27.
The cannabinoid CB1 receptor has gained much attention as a potential pharmacotherapeutic target in various neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the relation of CB1 receptors to cognitive function in AD is at present unclear. In this study, postmortem brain tissues from a cohort of prospectively assessed, neuropathologically confirmed AD patients and aged controls were used to measure CB1 receptors by immunoblotting, and a subset of subjects also had [(3)H]SR141716A binding. Correlational analyses were then performed for the neurochemical and cognitive data. We found that CB1 receptor levels in were unchanged AD in the brain regions assessed (frontal cortex, anterior cingulate gyrus, hippocampus, caudate nucleus). Within the AD group, frontal cortical CB1 immunoreactivity correlated with cognitive scores assessed within a year of death. Our study suggests that CB1 receptors are intact in AD and may play a role in preserving cognitive function. Therefore, CB1 receptors should be further assessed as a potential therapeutic target in AD.
大麻素 CB1 受体作为一种有希望的治疗靶点，在包括阿尔茨海默病（AD）在内的各种神经退行性疾病中引起了广泛关注。然而，目前尚不清楚 CB1 受体与 AD 中的认知功能的关系。在这项研究中，使用前瞻性评估、神经病理学证实的 AD 患者和年龄匹配的对照组的死后脑组织，通过免疫印迹测量 CB1 受体，并对一部分受试者还进行了[(3)H] SR141716A 结合。然后对神经化学和认知数据进行相关分析。我们发现，在评估的脑区（额叶皮质、前扣带回皮质、海马体、尾状核）中，AD 患者的 CB1 受体水平没有改变。在 AD 组中，额叶皮质 CB1 免疫反应性与死亡前一年内评估的认知评分相关。我们的研究表明，AD 患者的 CB1 受体完整，并可能在维持认知功能方面发挥作用。因此，CB1 受体应作为 AD 的潜在治疗靶点进一步评估。
