ArticleEvidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM2021
Electroacupuncture Ameliorates Depression-Like Behaviour in Rats by Enhancing Synaptic Plasticity via the GluN2B/CaMKII/CREB Signalling Pathway.
Article in Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Electroacupuncture as a rapid-onset and safer complementary therapy for depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2022Pooled it
- Neuroplasticity-Driven Mechanisms and Therapeutic Targets in the Anterior Cingulate Cortex in Neuropathic Pain.Brain and behavior · 2026Review
- Serum levels of CaMKII in patients with hyperventilation syndrome and its correlation with anxiety and depression.Medicine · 2025Observational
- Acupuncture improves depressive-like behaviors in CUMS rats by modulating lateral habenula synaptic plasticity via the BDNF/ERK/mTOR pathway.Molecular brain · 2025Article
- Regulating the Plasticity of Hippocampal Neurons via Electroacupuncture in Depression Model Mice.Cell proliferation · 2025Article
- Antidepressant-Like Effects of Electroacupuncture by Regulating NLRP3-mediated Hippocampal Inflammation and Pyroptosis in Rats With Post-Stroke Depression.Brain and behavior · 2025Article
- Possible antidepressant mechanism of acupuncture: targeting neuroplasticity.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2025Review
- Acupuncture alleviates CSDS-induced depressive-like behaviors by modulating synaptic plasticity in vCA1.Theranostics · 2025Article
- Acupuncture may play a key role in anti-depression through various mechanisms in depression.Chinese medicine · 2024Review
- Electroacupuncture Alleviates Memory Deficits in APP/PS1 Mice by Targeting Serotonergic Neurons in Dorsal Raphe Nucleus.Current medical science · 2024Article
- Article
- Effects of Electroacupuncture on Gut Microbiota and Fecal Metabolites in Rats with Poststroke Depression.Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment · 2023Article
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Authors and funding
9 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundHippocampal synaptic plasticity during the pathological process of depression has received increasing attention. Hippocampal neuron atrophy and the reduction in synaptic density induced by chronic stress are important pathological mechanisms of depression. Electroacupuncture (EA) exerts beneficial effects on depression, but the mechanism is unclear. This study explored the effect of EA on synaptic plasticity and the potential mechanism.
methodsForty-eight SD rats were randomly divided into the control, chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS), EA, and fluoxetine (FLX) groups, and each group consisted of 12 rats. The sucrose preference test, open field test, and forced swimming test were used for the evaluation of depression-like behaviour, and Golgi and Nissl staining were used for the assessment of synaptic plasticity. Western blotting and immunofluorescence were conducted to detect proteins related to synaptic plasticity and to determine their effects on signalling pathways.
resultsWe found that CUMS led to depression-like behaviours, including a reduced preference for sucrose, a prolonged immobility time, and reduced exploration activity. The dendritic spine densities and neuron numbers and the protein levels of MAP-2, PSD-95, and SYN were decreased in the hippocampi of rats with CUMS-induced depression, and these trends were reversed by EA. The molecular mechanism regulating this plasticity may involve the GluN2B/CaMKII/CREB signalling pathway.
conclusionThese results suggest that EA can improve depression-like behaviour and hippocampal plasticity induced by CUMS, and the mechanism may be related to the GluN2B/CaMKII/CREB pathway.
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