|
| Acupuncture intervention | Model/participants | Mechanisms | Refs. |
| Acupoint | EA parameters |
| Intensity, frequency |
|
| MA | Qihai (CV6), Zhongwan (CV12), Danzhong (CV17), bilateral Xuehai (SP10), bilateral Zusanli (ST36) | — | SAMP 8 mice | Induce different cell proliferation in different brain regions, and increase neuron density in hippocampal CA3 and DG.
Promote the proliferation, migration, and differentiation of exogenous neural stem cells via increasing SYN mRNA and protein levels.
Increase the number of apical and basal dendritic branches and total length of apical and basal dendrites.
Improve the distribution and arrangement of nerve fibers. | [31, 32, 44, 57, 58] |
| MA | Bilateral Zusanli (ST36) | — | Multi-infarction dementia modeled in rats with 3% microemboli saline suspension injected into the internal carotid artery | Increase the number of pyramidal neurons, and tend to decrease the number of astrocytes in the hippocampal CA1 area. | [36] |
| EA | Baihui (GV20) | 1 mA, 2/15 Hz | APP/PS1 transgenic mice | Attenuate Aβ deposits, upregulate the expression of BDNF, and promote neurogenesis in both the hippocampus and cortex. | [33] |
| EA | Baihui (GV20), Dazhui (GV14) | 2 V, 2 Hz | MCAO mice | Increase the number of proliferative cells and differentiated cells in the hippocampus and SVZ of the ipsilateral hemisphere, promote differentiation of proliferated cells into neurons or astrocytes, and upregulate mRNA expression of BDNF and VEGF. | [35] |
| EA | Bilateral Quchi (LI11), bilateral Zusanli (ST36) | NA, 1 or 20 Hz | MCAO rats | Activate the crucial signaling molecules in the notch signaling pathway, increase the secretion of BDNF and GDNF, and promote the proliferation of hippocampal NSCs. | [34] |
| EA | Baihui (GV20), Dazhui (GV14) | 2 V, 2 Hz | BCAS mice | Promote the differentiation of OPCs into OLs, and mediate positive changes in the expression of NT4/5 and its receptor Trk-B. | [41] |
| MA | Qihai (CV6), Zhongwan (CV12), Danzhong (CV17), bilateral Xuehai (SP10), bilateral Zusanli (ST36) | — | SAMP 8, coculture model of hippocampal tissue specimens, and NSCs in vitro | Increase the count of NeuN- and GFAP-positive cells, regulate the cytokine levels associated with survival, proliferation, and differentiation of NSCs (upregulate the expression of basic FGF, EGF, and BDNF). | [45] |
| MA | Qihai (CV6), Zhongwan (CV12), Danzhong (CV17), bilateral Xuehai (SP10), bilateral Zusanli (ST36) | — | SAMP 10 mice | Enhance the conjunction among the synapses and hasten the new synapse formation by upregulating YB-1 expression. | [20] |
| EA | Baihui (GV20), Shenshu (BL23) | NA, 2, 30 and 50 Hz | Rat models of AD induced by injecting Aβ1-42 into the bilateral lateral ventricles | Increase synaptic curvatures, decrease the width of synaptic clefts, thicken postsynaptic densities, and downregulate the expression of GSK3β, amyloid precursor protein, and Aβ1-40.
Promote synaptic damage rehabilitation by downregulating GSK3β and upregulating GAP-43. | [49, 77] |
| MA+EA | Yintang (GV29), bilateral Yingxiang (LI20) | 1.5 mA, 15 Hz (bilateral LI20) | SAMP 8 mice | Inhibit the phosphorylation of p38MAPK and the excessive activation of MG in the hippocampus to reduce the neuroinflammatory response and neurotoxicity of Aβ and promote synaptic regeneration. | [55] |
| EA | Bilateral Taixi (KI3) | 1 mA, 2 Hz | 5XFAD mice | Alleviate neuroinflammation, reduce ultrastructural degradation of synapses via upregulation of SYN and PSD-95 protein, and decrease MG-mediated Aβ deposition. | [56] |
| MA | Bilateral Taixi (KI3), bilateral Taichong (LR3) | — | MCAO rats | Promote the expression of BDNF and SYN, and synaptic structure reconstruction by increasing the postsynaptic density, narrowing the synapse cleft width. | [54] |
| EA | Baihui (GV20), Shenshu (BL23) | NA, 2 or 50 Hz | Rat models of AD induced by injecting Aβ1-42 into the bilateral lateral ventricles | Increase the ranges of LTP and LTD. | [61] |
| EA | Baihui (GV20), Yintang (GV29), Shuigou (GV26) | 1 mA, 1 Hz | APP/PS1 transgenic mice | Reduce BACE1 deposition and regulate PKA and LTP. | [64] |
| EA | Baihui (GV20), Dazhui (GV14), bilateral Shenshu (BL23), bilateral Yongquan (KI1) | 1-2 mA, 4 Hz | AD model rats established by injecting Aβ25-35 into the bilateral dentate gyri of the hippocampal CA1 area | Raise the slope of EPSP and the amplitude of PS. | [70] |
| EA | Baihui (GV20), bilateral Zusanli (ST36) | NA, 2 Hz | Diabetes mellitus and cerebral ischemia model rats | Restore impaired LTP. | [65] |
| EA | Baihui (GV20) | 2 mA, 2 Hz | MACO rats | Reduce the deficit of LTP via reversal of NMDAR1- and TRPV1-mediated neurotoxicity. | [62] |
| EA | Baihui (GV20), Dazhui (GV14), bilateral Shenshu (BL23) | 4 mA, 2 Hz | MACO rats | Promote LTP and upregulate expression of p70S6 kinase and ribosomal protein S6 in the hippocampus. | [63] |
| MA | Baihui (GV20), Zusanli (ST36) | — | 2VO rats by bilateral common carotid artery occlusion | Decrease ROS production, increase neural cell survival, and improve LTP.
Upregulate DBH expression in hippocampus.
Prevent impairments of LTP, promote the release of dopamine and its major metabolites in the hippocampus, and decrease D1 receptors and D5 receptors in the hippocampal DG region.
Enhance LTP and NE levels and increase β1-ARs in the hippocampus. | [66–69] |
| EA | Baihui (GV20), bilateral Yongquan (KI1) | 0.5 mA, 1/50 Hz | APP/PS1 transgenic mice | Reduce the expression of Aβ in the hippocampus and increase the expression of PSD-95 and SYN. | [75] |
| EA | Baihui (GV20), Dazhui (GV14), Shenshu (BL23) | 1 mA, 2 Hz | SAMP 8 mice | Increase the expression of SYN and PSD-95, and inhibit AMPK activation and eEF2K activity. | [76] |
| EA | Zusanli (ST36), Sanyinjiao (SP6) | 2 mV, 2 Hz | Anesthetized rats | Elevate excitability of granule cells by decreasing GABA from interneurons, which result in increasing LTP. | [78] |
| MA | Baihui (GV20) | — | Memory defects rats caused by SCO administration | Restore the expression of CHT1, vesicular AChT, BDNF and CREB mRNA in the hippocampus. | [81] |
| EA | Baihui (GV20), Shenting (GV24) | NA, 1-20 Hz | MCAO rats | Reduce Ca2+ influx via inhibition of Glu neurotoxicity and downregulation of NMDAR2B expression. | [86] |
| EA | Baihui (GV20) | NA, 1 and 20 Hz | APP/PS1 transgenic mice | Enhance the expression levels of mature BDNF and pro-BDNF, and BDNF/pro-BDNF ratio, upregulate the expression levels of phosphorylated Trk-B, and decrease the expression level of p75NTR.
Upregulate NAA, Glu and mI metabolism, increase the surviving neurons in the hippocampus, and promote the expression of BDNF and Trk-B. | [96, 97] |
| MA | Baihui (GV20), Sishencong (EX-HN1), bilateral Fengchi (GB20), Shenting (GV24) | — | Patients with PSCI | Improve BDNF and NGF levels in peripheral blood. | [98] |
| EA | Baihui (GV20), Shenshu (BL23) | 1 mA, 50 Hz | D-galactose-induced aged rats | Attenuate the hippocampal loss of dendritic spines, ameliorate neuronal microtubule injuries, increase the expressions of postsynaptic PSD-95 and presynaptic SYN, and inhibit the GSK3β/mTOR signaling pathway. | [21] |
| EA | Baihui (GV20), bilateral Shenshu (BL23), bilateral Neiguan (PC6), bilateral Zusanli (ST36), bilateral Sanyinjiao (SP6) | NA, 5 Hz | Al/D-gal-OLETF rats | Increase the protein level of p-GSK3β. | [22] |
| EA | Baihui (GV20), Dazhui (GV14), bilateral Shenshu (BL23) | 2 mA, 4 Hz | 2VO rats by bilateral common carotid artery occlusion | Upregulate expression of mTOR and eIF4E in the hippocampus. | [109] |
| EA | Baihui (GV20), Shenshu (BL23) | ≤2 mA, 20 Hz | Intrahippocampally injected Aβ1–40 rat model | Alleviate the cell apoptosis resulting from Aβ infusion in hippocampal CA1 regions through upregulating the expression of Bcl-2 and downregulating the expression of Bax, promote the expression of synapsin-1 and SYN, and downregulate the level of Notch1 and Hes1 mRNA in the hippocampus. | [89] |
| MA | Baihui (GV20), Yintang (GV29), Shuigou (GV26) | — | SAMP 8 mice | Improve the level of glucose metabolism in the brain, and the content of Aβ amyloid in the cortex. | [101] |
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