| Subjects | Location | Acupoint | Intervention | Time of intervention | Signal pathway | Main results | Author, reference |
| Male, SD rats, MCAO | brain | GV20 | EA, 3mA, 2/20Hz | 30min, QOD for 14 days | increase expression of BDNF/TrkB | elevation of BDNF neuron proliferation | Kim MW, et al. 2012[28] |
| Male, postnatal SD rats, MCAO | hippocampus | GV20, GV14 | EA, 2Hz | 20min, QD for 10 days | increase VEGF and BDNF levels | proliferation and differentiation of neuronal stem cells | Kim YR, et al. 2014[27] |
| Male, postnatal SD rats, CCAO | hippocampus | GV20, Ex-HN 1 | MA, 2Hz for 15 sec | 30min/time, 3 times | increase GDNF and BDNF levels | antiapoptosis | Zhang Y, et al. 2015[19] |
| Either sex, SD rats, CCAO combination with hypoxic treatment | cerebral cortex | MA: GV 20, GV 14, LI 11, KI 1 EA: GV 14, LI 11 | MA and EA, 1mA, 1/20 Hz | 10 min, QD | activation of GDNF/RET/Akt pathway | neuroprotection | Xu T, et al. 2016[25] |
| Male, SD rats, MCAO | brain | GV20 | EA, 1 mA, 2/15 Hz | 30min | activation of ERK1/2 pathway | elevation of CB1 neuroprotection | Du J et al. 2010[32] |
| Male, SD rats, MCAO | brain | ST36, LI11 | EA, 1/20 Hz | 30 min, QD | activation of the ERK pathway | elevation of Ras, cyclin D1 and CDK4 neural cell proliferation | Xie G, et al. 2013[33] |
| Male, SD rats, MCAO | brain | GV 20, GV14 | EA,2.7-3.0 mA, 5Hz | 25min, QD for 2 days | activation of MAPK/ERK kinase, ERK1/2 pathway | elevation of BDNF, pRaf-1, pp90RSK, pBad depression of caspase-3 protein neuroprotection | Cheng CY, et al. 2014[34] |
| Male, SD rats, MCAO | brain | LI11, ST36 | EA, 1-20 Hz | 30min, QD for 3 days | activation of the ERK1/2 pathway | elevation of p21 or p27 depression of cyclin D1, CDK4, cyclin E and CDK2 neural cell proliferation | Huang J, et al. 2014[29] |
| Male, SD rats, MCAO | hippocampus | LU5, LI4, ST36, SP6 | EA, 2mA, 2/15 Hz | 20 min, QD for 3 days | activation of the ERK pathway | antiapoptosis | Wu C, et al. 2015[35] |
| Male, SD rats, MCAO | brain | LU5, LI4, ST36, SP6 | EA,2 mA, 2/15Hz | 20min, QD for 3 days and 7 days | activation of ERK pathway | antiapoptosis | Wu C, et al. 2017[36] |
| Male, SD rats, ligation of common carotid artery and external carotid artery | hippocampus | LU5, LI4, ST36, SP6 | EA, 2/50 Hz | 20 min, QD | regulation of p38 MAPK signal pathway | depression of phosphorylated p38 MAPK antiapoptosis | Lan X, et al. 2017[41] |
| Male, SD rats, MCAO | brain | GV20, GV14, GV26 | MA | 30min/time, 7 times | Inactivation of MAPK/ERK pathway | elevation of Bcl-2 depression of Bax anti-apoptosis | Lin Y, et al. 2017[42] |
| Male, SD rats, MCAO | brain | LI11, ST36 | EA, 1mA, 4/20 Hz | 30min, QD for 3 days | modulation of ERK/JNK/p38 signal pathway | elevation of caspase-3, growth factor midkine depression of Bcl-2 anti-apoptosis | Xing Y, et al. 2018[43] |
| Male, SD rats, MCAO | brain | GV20, GV24 | EA, 1mA, 1/20 Hz | 30 min, QD for 10 days | modulation of p38MAPK/ERK1/2/JNK pathway | elevation of ERK1/2, Bcl-2/Bax ratio depression of JNK, p38 MAPK anti-apoptosis | Liu J, et al. 2018[44] |
| Male, SD rats, MCAO | sensorimotor cortex | LI11, ST36 | EA, 0.2mA, 1/20Hz | 30 min, QD for 3 days | inactivation of NF-κB, p38 MAPK and MYD88 pathway | depression of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 inhibition of microglia-mediated neuroinflammation | Liu W, et al. 2016[45] |
| Male, SD rats, MCAO | brain | GV20, GV16 | EA, 5 Hz and 25Hz | 25 min, QD | activation of p38 MAPK/CREB pathway | decrease reactive astrocytosis | Cheng CY, et al. 2015[46] |
| Male, Wistar rats, homologous blood emboli injection of internal carotid artery | hippocampus | ST36 | MA | QD for 14 days | activation of cAMP/PKA/CREB pathway | activation of long-term potentiation | Li QQ, et al. 2015[47] |
| Male, SD rats, MCAO | hippocampus | GV24, GV20 | EA, 1-3mA, 5/20Hz | 30min, QD | increase expression of p-CREB | elevation of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase, Bcl-2 depression of malondialdehyde, Bcl2-xl anti-oxidase anti-apoptosis | Lin R, et al. 2015[48] |
| Male C57BL/6 mice, bilateral stenosis of the common carotid artery | corpus callosum | GV20, GV14 | EA, 2Hz | 20min, QD for 7 days | p-CREB pathway | oligodendrocyte regeneration | Ahn SM, et al. 2016[49] |
| Female, SD rats, MCAO | hippocampus | GV20, GV24 | EA, 1/20Hz | 30min, QD for 7 days | inactivation of CaM-CaMKIV-CREB pathway | inactivation of CaM-CaMKIV-CREB pathway | Zhang Y, et al. 2016[50] |
| Male, SD rats, MCAO | hippocampus | GV20, HT7 | MA LA, 30 mW, 100Hz | 14 days | enhance cholinergic system | elevation of CREB, BDNF, and Bcl-2 depression of Bax anti-apoptosis | Yun YC, et al. 2017[51] |
| Neonatal SD rats, CCAO | brain | GV20, ST36 | EA, 1mA, 2Hz | 20min | activation of CREB/BDNF pathway | oligodendrogenesis | Pak ME, et al. 2018[52] |
| Male, Wistar rats, MCAO | forebrain | GV20, GV26 | EA, 3mA, 3/20Hz | 60min | activation of Akt | depression of caspase-9 anti-apoptosis | Wang SJ, et al. 2002[55] |
| Male, SD rats, MCAO | brain | GV26, CV 24, | EA,1 mA, 4/16Hz | 30min | activation of PI3K pathway | neuroprotection | Sun N, et al. 2005[56] |
| Male, SD rats, MCAO | brain | GV26, CV24 | EA, 4/16Hz | 30 min | activation of TrkA-PI3K pathway | neuroprotection | Zhao L, et al. 2007[57] |
| Rats, modified intravascular suture technique | hippocampus, cerebral cortex | GV26, CV 24 | acupuncture | - - | activation of TrkA/PI3K pathway | depression of NO, nNOS and iNOS | Chen SX, et al. 2011[58] |
| Male, SD rats, MCAO | brain | LI11, ST36 | EA, 1mA, 1/20 Hz | 30 min, QD | activation of PI3K/Akt pathway | elevation of BDNF, GDNF, Bcl-2/Bax ratio anti-apoptosis | Chen A, et al. 2012[59] |
| SD rats, left common carotid artery (LCCA) ligation | cerebral cortex | GV 20, GV 14, LI 11, KI 1 | MA and EA | - - | activation of PI3K/Akt pathway | neuroprotection | Xu T, et al. 2014[60] |
| Male, SD rats, MCAO | brain | LI11, ST36 | EA, 4/20 Hz | 30 min, QD for 3 days | activation of PI3K/Akt pathway | elevation of PI3K, p-Akt, p-Bad and Bcl-2 depression of Bax, caspase-3-positive expression anti-apoptosis | Xue X, et al. 2014[12] |
| Male, SD rats, MCAO | brain | GV20, CV6 | EA,1mA, 2Hz | 30min, BID | activation of PI3K/Akt pathway | depression of caspase-3, -8 and -9 anti-apoptosis | Kim YR, et al. 2013[61] |
| Male, SD rats, MCAO | bone marrow | GV20, LI4, LR3 | EA, 3mA, 2/20Hz | 30min, QD | increase expression of p-Akt protein | elevation of CD 34+ endothelial progenitor cell | Xie CC, et al. 2014[63] |
| Male, SD rats, MCAO | brain | LI11, ST36 | EA, 0.2 mA, 1/20 Hz | 30 min, QD for 3 days | activation of mTORC1-ULK1 complex-beclin1 pathway | depression of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 beta II/I, ULK1, autophagy related gene 13 and Beclin1 anti-autophagy | Liu W, et al. 2016[62] |
| Male, SD rats, MCAO | brain | GV20 | EA, 1mA, 2/15 Hz | 30 min, QD for 3 days | phosphorylation of GSK-3β | anti-apoptosis | Wei H, et al. 2014[64] |
| Male, SD rats, MCAO | brain | GV20 | EA, 1mA, 2/15Hz | 30min, QD for 5 days | decrease expression of p-Akt | elevation of claudin-5, occludin decrease blood-brain barrier disruption | Zou R, et al. 2015[65] |
| Male, SD rats, MCAO | brain | GV20, GV24 | EA 1/20Hz | 30min, QD for 10 days | inhibition of NF-κB-mediated apoptosis pathway | depression of Bax and Fas anti-apoptosis | Feng X, et al. 2013[66] |
| Male, SD rats, MCAO | brain | LI11, ST36 | EA,0.01mA, 1/20Hz | - - | regulation of TLR4/NF-κB pathway | depression of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 neuroprotection | Lan L, et al. 2013[67] |
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