Analgesic Neural Circuits Are Activated by Electroacupuncture at Two Sets of Acupoints

Overview

Journal Evid Based Complement Alternat Med

Specialty Rehabilitation Medicine

Date 2016 Jul 19

PMID 27429635

Citations 9

Authors

Man-Li Hu

Zheng-Ying Qiu

Kuang Hu

Ming-Xing Ding

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

To investigate analgesic neural circuits activated by electroacupuncture (EA) at different sets of acupoints in the brain, goats were stimulated by EA at set of Baihui-Santai acupoints or set of Housanli acupoints for 30 min. The pain threshold was measured using the potassium iontophoresis method. The levels of c-Fos were determined with Streptavidin-Biotin Complex immunohistochemistry. The results showed pain threshold induced by EA at set of Baihui-Santai acupoints was 44.74% ± 4.56% higher than that by EA at set of Housanli acupoints (32.64% ± 5.04%). Compared with blank control, EA at two sets of acupoints increased c-Fos expression in the medial septal nucleus (MSN), the arcuate nucleus (ARC), the nucleus amygdala basalis (AB), the lateral habenula nucleus (HL), the ventrolateral periaqueductal grey (vlPAG), the locus coeruleus (LC), the nucleus raphe magnus (NRM), the pituitary gland, and spinal cord dorsal horn (SDH). Compared with EA at set of Housanli points, EA at set of Baihui-Santai points induced increased c-Fos expression in AB but decrease in MSN, the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, HL, and SDH. It suggests that ARC-PAG-NRM/LC-SDH and the hypothalamus-pituitary may be the common activated neural pathways taking part in EA-induced analgesia at the two sets of acupoints.

Citing Articles

Low-frequency electroacupuncture exerts antinociceptive effects through activation of POMC neural circuit induced endorphinergic input to the periaqueductal gray from the arcuate nucleus.

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Electroacupuncture Relieves Visceral Hypersensitivity via Balancing PAR2 and PAR4 in the Descending Pain Modulatory System of Goats.

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Synaptotagmin 1 Is Involved in Neuropathic Pain and Electroacupuncture-Mediated Analgesic Effect.

Wan J, Nan S, Liu J, Ding M, Zhu H, Suo C Int J Mol Sci. 2020; 21(3).

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The Involvement of Descending Pain Inhibitory System in Electroacupuncture-Induced Analgesia.

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Thymosin Beta 4 Is Involved in the Development of Electroacupuncture Tolerance.

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