High-frequency electroacupuncture evidently reinforces hippocampal synaptic transmission in Alzheimer’s disease rats

摘要

The frequency range of electroacupuncture in treatment of Alzheimer’s disease in rats is commonly 2–5 Hz (low frequency) and 50–100 Hz (high frequency). We established a rat model of Alzheimer’s disease by injectingβ-amyloid 1–42 (Aβ1–42) into the bilateral hippocam-pal dentate gyrus to verify which frequency may be better suited in treatment. Electroacupuncture at 2 Hz or 50 Hz was used to stimulate Baihui(DU20) andShenshu (BL23) acupoints. The water maze test and electrophysiological studies demonstrated that spatial memory ability was apparently improved, and the ranges of long-term potentiation and long-term depression were increased in Alzheimer’s disease rats after electroacupuncture treatment. Moreover, the effects of electroacupuncture at 50 Hz were better than that at 2 Hz. These ifndings suggest that high-frequency electroacupuncture may enhance hippocampal synaptic transmission and potentially improve memory disor-ders in Alzheimer’s disease rats.