| Subjects | Location | Acupoint | Intervention | Time of intervention | Signal pathway | Main results | Author, reference |
| SD rats, CUMS | hippocampus, frontal cortex | GV20, EX-HN3, PC6 | - - | QOD for 28 days | activation of BDNF pathway | elevation of BDNF mRNA and protein neural regeneration | Liang J, et al. 2012[104] |
| Male, SD rats, CUS | hippocampus | LI4, LR3 | EA | QD for 21 days | regulation of soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment receptor proteins | depression of SNAP25, VAMP1, VAMP2, VAMP7, and syntaxin1 | Fan L, et al. 2016[106] |
| SD rats, CUMS | hippocampus | GV20, EX-HN3 | EA, 0.6mA, 2Hz | 20min, QD for 21 days | activation of NO-cGMP pathway | elevation of nNOS, cGMP normalize activity of the NO/cGMP pathway | Han YJ, et al. 2009[107] |
| Male, SD rats, CUS | hippocampus | GV20, PC6 | - - | QD for 28 days | Inactivation of NF-κB inflammatory pathway | depression of NF-κB, COX-2, prostaglandin inhibition of pro-inflammatory pathway | Shao RH, et al. 2015[108] |
| Male, SD rats, CUMS | hippocampus, prefrontal cortex | GV20, PC6 | MA, rotated 2Hz for 1 min and retained | 10min, QOD for 28 days | activation of ERK-CREB pathway | elevation of ratio of p-ERK1/2 to ERK1/2, ratio of p-CREB to CREB influence BDNF expression | Lu J, et al. 2013[109] |
| Male, SD rats, CUMS | hippocampus | GV20, GB34 | EA, 0.3mA, 2/100Hz | 30min, QD for 14 days | activation of ERK pathway | elevation of p-ERK neural stem cells proliferation | Yang L, et al. 2013[110] |
| Male, SD rats, CUMS | hippocampus | GV20, EX-HN3 | EA, 1-3mA, 2Hz | 15 min, QD for 14 days | modulation of the p-ERK1/2 and p-p38MAPK pathway | elevation of p-ERK1/2, p-p38 | Xu J, et al. 2015[111] |
| Male, SD rats, CUMS | hippocampus | GV20, GV29 | MA, 2Hz for 1min | 10min, QD for 21 days | activation of ERK pathway | elevation of -ERK1/2, CREB, and p-CREB neurotrophy and neurogenesis | Zhang X, et al. 2016[112] |
| Male, SD rats, CUMS | hippocampus | GV20, GV29 | EA, 0.6mA, 2Hz | 20min, QD for 21 days | Activation of MAPK/ERK pathway | elevation of BDNF, ERK, pERK, ribosomal s6 kinase augmentation of BDNF pathway, neurogenesis, anti-apoptosis | Li W, et al. 2017[113] |
| Male, specific pathogen-free SD rats, CRS | hippocampus | GV20, GV29 | EA, 1mA, 2Hz | pre-stress, 20min, QD for 28 days | modulation of MAPK/ERK pathway | elevation of MAPT depression of PKC inhibition of cell differentiation and proliferation | Yang X, et al. 2017[114] |
| Male, SD rats, CUMS | hippocampus | GV20, GV29 | EA | 21 days | inactivation of JNK pathway | depression of p-JNK anti-apoptosis | Dai W, et al. 2010[115] |
| Male, SD rats, CUMS | hippocampus | GV20, GV29 | acupuncture | 20 min, QD | inactivation of JNK pathway | depression of p-JNK protein, MKK 4, MKK 7 protein | Guo Y, et al. 2016[116] |
| Male, SD rats | hippocampus, serum | GV20, EX-HN1, ST36, ST40 | EA | QOD for 21 days | regulation of hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis | elevation of cortisol, PKA, PKC | Lu F, et al. 2008[117] |
| Male, SD rats, chronic mild stress | hippocampus | LI4, LR3 | EA, 2/20 Hz | 30min, QOD for 42 days | activation of AC-cAMP-PKA pathway | activation of AC-cAMP-PKA pathway | Liu JH, et al. 2012[118] |
| Male, SD rats, CUMS | hippocampus | GV20, EX-HN3 | EA, 0.6mA, 2Hz | 30min, QD for 14, 28 days | activation of CREB and BDNF pathways | elevation of BDNF, TrkB, PKA, pCREB depression of CaMKII anti-apoptosis, neuroprotection | Duan DM, et al. 2016[119] |
| Male, SD rats, CUMS | hippocampus | GV20, EX-HN3 | MA, | pre-stress, 30min for 21 days | Activation of PKA/CREB pathway | elevation of PKA-α and p-CREB | Jiang H, et al. 2017[120] |
| Male, SD rats, Single prolonged stress | Hippocampus, serum | HT8 | MA, rotate 2Hz for 30sec | QD | activation of mTOR pathway | elevation of corticosterone(serum), corticotropin-releasing factor, mTOR phosphorylation, Akt, ERK, p70S6K, p4E-BP-1, CREB, PSD95, Syn1, GluR1 increase synaptic plasticity | Oh JY, et al. 2018[121] |
| Male, Wistar rats, CUMS | hippocampus and serum | GV20, EX-HN3 | EA, 1mA, 2Hz, pre-stress | 60min, QD for 28 days | Regulation of neurotrophin signaling pathway, MAPK/ERK pathway and PI3K/Akt pathway | depression of miR-383-5p and miR-764-5p activation of neurotrophy and inhibition of abnormal apoptosis | Duan DM, et al. 2017[122] |
| Male, SD rats, CRS | hippocampus | GV20, EX-HN3 | not mentioned | 20min, QD for 28 days | down regulation of toll-like receptor signalling pathway and nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor pathway | regulating inflammatory response, innate immunity and immune response | Wang Y, et al. 2017[123] |
| Male, SD rats, CRS | frontal cortex | GV20, GV29 | MA | pre-stress, 20min, QD for 28 days | Toll-like receptor pathway, TNF pathway, NF-κB pathway | inhibition of inflammatory process | Wang Y, et al. 2017[124] |
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