Pubdate: Thu, 20 Nov 2008 Source: Province, The (CN BC) Copyright: 2008 Canwest Publishing Inc. Contact: http://www.canada.com/theprovince/letters.html Website: http://www.canada.com/theprovince/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/476 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis) PUFF-A-DAY OF POT MAY KEEP OLD MEMORY FUNCTIONING WASHINGTON -- A daily puff of a compound like marijuana, the plant blamed for ruining potheads' recall, might help maintain memory in old age, researchers who tried it on rats reported yesterday. Elderly rats better remembered their way around a swimming pool and could find hidden resting spots after Yannick Marchalant and his colleagues at Ohio State University gave them a compound that mimics the effect of marijuana on the brain's cannabis receptors. Other rats got placebos. The marijuana-like drug, known as WIN-55212-2, spurred new brain-cell growth and reduced inflammation, the researchers said. "We used a low dose because we didn't want to give them a drug that tried to save their memory while we're also causing psychoactive effects," Marchalant said. "The dosage of WIN would be like giving one puff a day and not a whole joint." The study results were reported yesterday at a meeting of the Society for Neuroscience. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin