Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28837077›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of molecular sciences2017

Electroacupuncture Promotes Recovery of Motor Function and Reduces Dopaminergic Neuron Degeneration in Rodent Models of Parkinson's Disease.

Jaung-Geng Lin, Chao-Jung Chen, Han-Bin Yang, Yi-Hung Chen, Shih-Ya Hung

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of molecular sciences, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 39 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
39citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
4.2field-weighted citation impact, top 5% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

39 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 67 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Efficacy of various acupuncture modalities on alleviating symptoms in Parkinson's disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2025
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  10. Intranasal administration of mesenchymal stem cells overexpressing FGF21 demonstrates therapeutic potential in experimental Parkinson's disease.Neurotherapeutics : the journal of the American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics · 2025
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Jaung-Geng LinSchool of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan. jglin@mail.cmu.edu.tw.
Chao-Jung ChenGraduate Institute of Integrated Medicine, College of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan. cjchen@mail.cmu.edu.tw.
Han-Bin YangGraduate Institute of Acupuncture Science, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan. alex23206567@gmail.com.
Yi-Hung ChenGraduate Institute of Acupuncture Science, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan. yihungchen@mail.cmu.edu.tw.
Shih-Ya HungGraduate Institute of Acupuncture Science, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan. shihyahung@mail.cmu.edu.tw.
China Medical University · TWAsia University · TWChina Medical University Hospital · TW

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disease. The pathological hallmark of PD is a progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra (SN) pars compacta in the brain, ultimately resulting in severe striatal dopamine deficiency and the development of primary motor symptoms (e.g., resting tremor, bradykinesia) in PD. Acupuncture has long been used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat PD for the control of tremor and pain. Accumulating evidence has shown that using electroacupuncture (EA) as a complementary therapy ameliorates motor symptoms of PD. However, the most appropriate timing for EA intervention and its effect on dopamine neuronal protection remain unclear. Thus, this study used the 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-lesioned mouse model (systemic-lesioned by intraperitoneal injection) and the 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP⁺)-lesioned rat model (unilateral-lesioned by intra-SN infusion) of PD, to explore the therapeutic effects and mechanisms of EA at the GB34 (Yanglingquan) and LR3 (Taichong) acupoints. We found that EA increased the latency to fall from the accelerating rotarod and improved striatal dopamine levels in the MPTP studies. In the MPP⁺ studies, EA inhibited apomorphine induced rotational behavior and locomotor activity, and demonstrated neuroprotective effects via the activation of survival pathways of Akt and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the SN region. In conclusion, we observed that EA treatment reduces motor symptoms of PD and dopaminergic neurodegeneration in rodent models, whether EA is given as a pretreatment or after the initiation of disease symptoms. The results indicate that EA treatment may be an effective therapy for patients with PD.

Indexed as

Electroacupuncture1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridineAnimalsApoptosisBrain-Derived Neurotrophic FactorDisease Models, AnimalDopaminergic NeuronsDyskinesiasMiceMotor ActivityParkinson DiseaseProto-Oncogene Proteins c-aktRatsSubstantia Nigra1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridineBrain-Derived Neurotrophic FactorProto-Oncogene Proteins c-aktdopamineelectroacupuncturemotor functionneuroprotectionParkinson’s disease

Identifiers

PMID28837077
PMCPMC5618495
OpenAlexW2750382544

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.