ArticleCell death & disease2023
Electroacupuncture prevents astrocyte atrophy to alleviate depression.
Article in Cell death & disease, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 52 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The trial behind it
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Who cites it
52 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 83 citations in OpenAlex.
- Efficacy and influencing factors of acupuncture in major depressive disorder: a systematic review and exploratory network meta-analysis.CNS spectrums · 2026Pooled it
- Research trends and hotspots of electroacupuncture for depression: a bibliometric and visual analysis (2005-2025).Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- Effectiveness and safety of acupuncture for Parkinson's disease anxiety: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in aging neuroscience · 2025Pooled it
- Efficacy and safety of electroacupuncture in patients with postpartum depression: a meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2024Pooled it
- Both Genetic Manipulation and Acupuncture Alleviate Depressive-Like Behavior Mediated by Astrocytic P2X7 Receptors.MedComm · 2026Article
- Cannabinoid use generalizes stress responses: involvement of astrocyte plasticity and activation of matrix metalloproteinases in the nucleus accumbens core.Molecular psychiatry · 2026Article
- The Gut Microbiota-Astrocyte Axis: New Insights into the Mechanisms of Comorbid Major Depressive Disorder in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.Molecular neurobiology · 2026Review
- Perisynaptic Astrocytic Processes as Communication Hubs and Early Sites of Dysfunction.The Neuroscientist : a review journal bringing neurobiology, neurology and psychiatry · 2026Review
- Multimodal Behavior Scoring Quantifies Depression-like Severity Across Chronic Stress Models and Identifies Stress-Resilient Mice.NeuroSci · 2026Article
- Targeting microglial circMBNL1 unlocks a novel nanomedicine therapeutic strategy for major depressive disorder.Journal of nanobiotechnology · 2026Article
- Restoration of Excitation-Inhibition Balance and Improvement of Schizophrenia-like Behavioral Deficits via Electroacupuncture.CNS neuroscience & therapeutics · 2026Article
- Electroacupuncture prevents CUMS induced depressive-like behaviors by inhibiting microglia-mediated synaptic pruning induced by gut dysbiosis.Chinese medicine · 2026Article
- Electroacupuncture Ameliorates Depressive-Like Behaviors by Enhancing Autophagy to Attenuate Hippocampal Neuroinflammation via the VEGF/AKT1/ERK Pathway in CUMS Rats.Neurochemical research · 2026Article
- [Electroacupuncture at Baihui and Zusanli improves fear memory extinction in single prolonged stress mice by activating hippocampal astrocytes].Nan fang yi ke da xue xue bao = Journal of Southern Medical University · 2026Article
- Curing the brain: in search for new astrocyte-specific therapies.Experimental & molecular medicine · 2026Review
- Astrocytes: Unveiling their role in the molecular mechanism of natural antidepressants.Journal of pharmaceutical analysis · 2026Review
- Electroacupuncture alleviates depression and gastrointestinal dysfunction by rebalancing GABAergic activity in the central amygdala.World journal of psychiatry · 2026Article
- Acupuncture as a modulator of microglial polarization and pyroptosis in depression: evidence from a chronic unpredictable mild stress rat model.Metabolic brain disease · 2026Article
- Electroacupuncture to point Baihui confers anxiolytic effects by promoting oxytocin release from PVN in Mice.Chinese medicine · 2026Article
- Acupuncture Modulation of the Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis in Major Depressive Disorder: Integrative Mechanisms, Emerging Evidence, and Future Therapeutic Perspectives.Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 6 institutions in 5 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Astrocyte atrophy is the main histopathological hallmark of major depressive disorder (MDD) in humans and in animal models of depression. Here we show that electroacupuncture prevents astrocyte atrophy in the prefrontal cortex and alleviates depressive-like behaviour in mice subjected to chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS). Treatment of mice with CUMS induced depressive-like phenotypes as confirmed by sucrose preference test, tail suspension test, and forced swimming test. These behavioural changes were paralleled with morphological atrophy of astrocytes in the prefrontal cortex, revealed by analysis of 3D reconstructions of confocal Z-stack images of mCherry expressing astrocytes. This morphological atrophy was accompanied by a decrease in the expression of cytoskeletal linker Ezrin, associated with formation of astrocytic leaflets, which form astroglial synaptic cradle. Electroacupuncture at the acupoint ST36, as well as treatment with anti-depressant fluoxetine, prevented depressive-like behaviours, astrocytic atrophy, and down-regulation of astrocytic ezrin. In conclusion, our data further strengthen the notion of a primary role of astrocytic atrophy in depression and reveal astrocytes as cellular target for electroacupuncture in treatment of depressive disorders.
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Registered trials
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.