Electroacupuncture and manual acupuncture at LR3 and ST36 have attenuating effects on hypertension and subsequent cognitive dysfunction in spontaneously hypertensive rats: A preliminary resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study

• DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1129688
• Publication Date: 2023-03-09T04:57:37Z
• Authors: Ji-peng Liu; Yin-yin Li; Ke-zhen Yang; Shu-feng Shi; Yu Gong; Zhuang Tao; Yi Tong; Jiao Sun; Bing-nan Yue; Xiao-lu Li; Xin-yu Gao; Qing-guo Liu; Meng Xu
• Keywords: cognitive functions; electroacupuncture; Neurosciences. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry; spontaneously hypertensive rats; rs-fMRI; manual acupuncture; RC321-571; Neuroscience

Introduction Chronic hypertension may have a contributory role toward cognitive impairment. Acupuncture exerts protective effects on functions while controlling the blood pressure. However, neural mechanism underlying dual attenuating effect of acupuncture remains unclear. In this study, we investigated electroacupuncture (EA) and manual (MA) functional activity brain regions spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) by through resting-state magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). We also evaluated differences in these activities between EA MA groups. Methods randomly assigned 30 SHRs into EA, MA, model (SHR) Wistar Kyoto ( n = 10) were used as normal control (WKY). The interventions administered once every alternate day for 12 weeks. systolic pressure all was recorded 2 weeks until end intervention. After intervention, rs-fMRI scanning performed to access whole data selected from each group evenly. amplitude low frequency fluctuation (ALFF) analysis, regional homogeneity (ReHo) connectivity (FC) analysis conducted. Morris water maze (MWM) test conducted evaluate learning memory rats. Hematoxylin-eosin staining Nissl observe histopathological changes key regions. Results demonstrated that, when compared with SHR group, groups had significantly lower better performance behavioral indices, that than MA. ALFF ReHo analyses revealed enhancement neuronal some functionally impaired areas main callback included hypothalamus, entorhinal cortex, stem, prelimbic cingulate corpus callosum, cerebellum. FC enhanced seeds such hippocampus, pathological cortex verified activity. Discussion Our findings suggested exhibited dysfunction enhancing corresponding Moreover, activated more which explain why