| Abstract: | Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine whether acupuncture stimulation at the Baihui(GV20) improves memory defects caused by administration of scopolamine(SCO) to the rats.The effects of acupuncture stimulation at the GV20 on the cholinergic system as well as the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor(BDNF) and cAMP-response element-binding protein(CREB) in the hippocampus were also investigated.Methods: Male rats were administered with SCO(2 mg/kg, i.p.) once daily for 14 days.Acupuncture stimulation at GV20 was performed for 5 min before SCO injection.Results: Acupuncture stimulation at GV20 improved memory impairment as measured by the passive avoidance test(PAT) and reduced the escape latency for finding the platform in the Morris water maze(MWM) test.Acupuncture stimulation at the GV20 significantly alleviated memory-associated decreases in the expression levels of choline acetyltransferase(ChAT), BDNF and CREB proteins in the hippocampus.Additionally, acupuncture stimulation at the GV20 significantly restored the expression of choline transporter 1(CHT1), vesicular acetylcholine transporter(VAChT), BDNF and CREB mRNAs in the hippocampus.Conclusion: These results demonstrated that acupuncture stimulation at the GV20 has significant neuroprotective effects against neuronal impairment and memory dysfunction caused by SCO in rats.Thus, these findings suggested that acupuncture stimulation at the GV20 might be a useful therapy in various neurodegenerative diseases for the improvement of cognitive functioning via stimulating cholinergic enzyme activities and regulating BDNF and CREB expression in the brain. |
