Electroacupuncture at a specific scalp point improved post-stroke cognition in rats by strengthening hippocampal synaptic plasticity through calcium-signalling regulation.
Researchers induced temporary blockage and restoration of blood flow in the middle cerebral artery of adult rats to model ischemic stroke. Animals were assigned to sham treatment, stroke alone, electroacupuncture at a scalp acupuncture point, or electroacupuncture at a nearby non-acupuncture site. Neurological function and learning and memory were assessed during treatment, while hippocampal tissue was examined for proteins associated with synapse formation and maintenance. Bioinformatic screening and cultured hippocampal neurons engineered to overexpress a calcium-channel gene were used to investigate the proposed molecular pathway.
Electroacupuncture at the scalp point improved neurological performance and learning and memory relative to untreated stroke animals and those receiving stimulation at the non-acupuncture site. It also increased synapse-related proteins and synapse abundance in the hippocampus. The treatment was associated with enhanced activity of a calcium-channel gene and a signalling pathway involving calmodulin, calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase, and cyclic adenosine monophosphate response element-binding protein, supporting a mechanism in which targeted stimulation promotes synaptic repair after stroke.
