Topic: acupuncture

Drug addiction is a chronic relapsing disorder characterized by compulsive drug-seeking. There is lot of interest in gaining a better understanding of how acupuncture works in the brain to modulate addictive behaviors. The current study aims to discuss the neurobiological mechanisms underlying acupuncture’s effectiveness in the treatment of drug addiction, on the basis of two different theories (the incentive sensitization theory and the opponent process theory) that have seemingly opposite views on the role of the mesolimbic reward pathways in mediating compulsive drug-seeking behavior. Resul

Despite clinical data stretching over millennia, the neurobiological basis of the effectiveness of acupuncture in central nervous system disorders has remained elusive. In this study, using an established model of acupuncture treatment in Parkinson’s disease (PD) mice, we show that peripheral acupuncture stimulation activates hypothalamic melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) neurons via nerve conduction. Moreover, we identify two distinct neural pathways originating from anatomically and electrophysiologically distinct MCH neuronal subpopulations, projecting to the substantia nigra and hippocam

Acupuncture is a component of the complex therapeutic and healthcare system of China that has been used for more than 2500 years. Oriental medicine describes how acupoints are associated with internal organs and acupuncture treatment on back-shu points (BSPs) has received attention owing to its ability to control the function of visceral organs. Previous studies suggested that an acupoint is one form of neurogenic inflammation on the skin. In this study, we compared of the anatomic location between neurogenic inflammatory areas in the skin (neurogenic spots) and traditional acupuncture points

Our previous studies have suggested that acupuncture modulates the mesolimbic dopamine(DA) system, a region implicated in drug abuse. Therefore, in this study, we hypothesized that the stimulation of acupuncture activates mesolimbic GABA neurons in the ventral tegmental area(VTA), thereby affecting the inhibition of addictive behavior. Cocaine injections and LI5 acupuncture stimulation significantly increased locomotor activity, but HT7 acupuncture inhibited cocaine-induced locomotion. In vivo fiber photometry showed that HT7 stimulation significantly activated VTA GABA neurons compared to con