Cannabinoids and Neurodegeneration: Using C. elegans as a Model System to Determine the Effectiveness of CBD as a Treatment for Parkinson’s Disease

Grandmaison, Rachel; Anthony, Jan; Raffin, Mikayla; Corbin, Katherine

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Cannabinoids and Neurodegeneration: Using C. elegans as a Model System to Determine the Effectiveness of CBD as a Treatment for Parkinson’s Disease

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Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease that causes a loss of control in motor function as it progresses. Our project analyzed the ability of Cannabidiol (CBD) to restore movement to or protect against neurodegeneration in C. elegans nematodes with chemically induced PD using 6-OHDA (6-hydroxydopamine). Experiments were conducted in liquid media and recorded under a light microscope for further analysis. The number of times that each worm “turned” was scored to determine the relative activity of each worm. Our results suggest that there may be a benefit to using CBD as both a preventative measure and a treatment for physical symptoms of PD, as there is an increase in relative turn activity seen in nematodes treated with CBD both before and after chemical induction of PD.

This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

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