bySociety for Neuroscience

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Neuroinflammation damages neurons and can contribute to diseases like Alzheimer's. Cannabidiol (CBD) has anti-inflammatory properties, which suggests that it could combat neuroinflammation in Alzheimer's.

In a neweNeuropaper, Babak Baban and colleagues, from Augusta University, explore whether CBD can be leveraged as an anti-inflammatory treatment in an established Alzheimer's disease mouse model.

The researchers assessed two distinct mechanisms for shaping immune responses and regulating neuroinflammation in thecentral nervous systemfollowing CBD treatment via inhalation.

With several molecular and genetic measures, they discovered that CBD reduced expression of key regulators for neuroinflammation in Alzheimer's mice, which was associated with fewer proinflammatory molecules. Baban's team also identified distinct regulators of the immune response and neuroinflammation with which CBD interacted.

"Alzheimer's work has long centered on plaques and tangles," says Baban. "But our study shows that chronic autoinflammation is also a core driver of the disease. What's exciting is that CBD not only calms this immune overactivation but, in earlier work, we've shown it can also help clear plaques andtanglesthrough a different mechanism. Together, this points to a multitarget approach with real therapeutic potential."

More information: Rethinking Alzheimer's: Harnessing Cannabidiol to Modulate IDO and cGAS Pathways for Neuroinflammation Control, eNeuro (2025). DOI: 10.1523/ENEURO.0114-25.2025 Journal information: eNeuro

Provided by Society for Neuroscience