Acupuncture can alleviate PTSD-related depression and anxiety by boosting protein synthesis required for synaptic plasticity via the mTOR pathway in the hippocampus.
The researchers conducted their study by observing a PTSD rat model that had been induced with a single prolonged stress (SPS). They administered acupuncture at HT8, a known acupuncture point, and gathered data on the ensuing behavioral changes using the forced swimming, elevated plus maze, and open field tests. They compared these results with those achieved using fluoxetine, a common antidepressant drug. They aimed to probe the underlying mechanisms by which acupuncture might work by studying its effect on protein translation in the mTOR signaling pathway and its subsequent enhancement of the activation of synaptic proteins such as PSD95, Syn1, and GluR1 in the hippocampus.
The effects of acupuncture at HT8 point resulted in a significant alleviation in both depression and anxiety-like behaviors that had earlier been induced by SPS in the rat test subjects. This alleviation of symptoms was disrupted by the administration of rapamycin. These results are comparable to those brought about by the use of fluoxetine. The results further show that acupuncture aids in regulating protein translation in the mTOR signaling pathway, boosting the activation of synaptic proteins like PSD95, Syn1, and GluR1 in the hippocampus.
