The Effects Of Electro-acupuncture On Learning And Memory Abilities In Alzheimer's Disease Model Of Rats

Objective:By observing the effects of electro-acupuncture(EA) on learning and memory abilities of hippocampus in Alzheimer's disease model of rats induced byβ-amyloid protein,and try to explore the mechanism of electro-acupuncture improving learning and memory impairment of AD rats, as well as the regulatory role of related indicators and to deepen the understanding of mechanism of AD treated by electro-acupuncture,and to provide a scientific basis for the clinical treatment on this disease.Methods:30 SD rats were equally divided between male and female into 3 groups, namely, the normal group, the model group and the model added EA group and 10 in each group.Injecting a little with Aβ25-3510μg on bilateral dorsal dentate gyrus of the rat to establish the model of AD rat.And treated the disease selected "Baihui", "Dazhui", "Taixi", "Shenshu" by electro-acupuncture.Then connected with G6805 electro-acupuncture device and used 2Hz continuous wave and 1～2 intensity,then electriced for 20min,once a day,a total of 7 days.Take the methods of experimental platform,electrophysiology, electron microscopy, immunohistochemistry and use AD model rat learning and memory, LTP, hippocampal morphology and subunit NR2B of NMDA receptor for measurement indicators;Using HE staining, light microscope to observe the morphological changes in rat hippocampus. And further analysis of electro-acupuncture intervention on the above indicators.Result:1.AD rat model group, the average number of errors in platform and accumulated at the wrong time, compared with the normal group increased significantly (P<0.05, P<0.01), learning and memory abilities decline; electroacupuncture treatment can reduce the number of AD rats jumping errors and cumulative at the wrong time, compared with the model group were significantly different (P<0.05, P<0.01), learning and memory has improved significantly.2. A serious recession of LTP due to significantly decreased of learning and memory of rat in hippocampus (P<0.01),and improved greatly by the treatment of electroacupuncture (P<0.01).3.Rat model of AD hippocampus NR2B receptor expression,compared with normal group decreased significantly (P<0.05); Compared with model group, electroacupuncture group hippocampal expression of NR2B protein was significantly higher (P<0.05), shows a good regulatory role, indicating that electro-acupuncture could improve the AD at the receptor at the molecular level learning and memory impairment in rats.4.AD rat model group, non-uniform arrangement of hippocampal cells, structural disorder, the majority of cells, cell body shrink, the cell size reduces the volume and equivalent diameter;Electro-acupuncture intervention can significantly improve the damaged cells in pathological, so that a more orderly arrangement of hippocampal neurons, nuclear pyknosis had improved, increasing cell volume and the equivalent area circle diameter,compared with model group differences are significant (P<0.05),have some protective effect for hippocampal neurons in AD.Conclusion:Hippocampal microinjection of Aβ25-35 preparation of rat models successfully simulated the behavior of the AD characteristics, excitatory post-synaptic potentials in hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) and its related NR2B receptors are involved in the AD process of learning and memory impairment in rats; electro-acupuncture intervention can increase AD hippocampal expression of NR2B receptors, thereby enhancing LTP, while the injured hippocampal neurons play a protective effect, which may enhance learning and memory in AD rats, part of the mechanism.