The neuroprotective effects of electroacupuncture on focal cerebral ischemia in monkey

The present study was designed to investigate whether the electro-acupuncture (EA) is beneficial to extenuate cerebral ischemic injuries following the middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) in monkey. The results indicated that after MCAO. the EEG was severely inhibited, while the EEG recovery was slow after reperfusion compared with the control group. EA, given between the acupuncture points Baihui Point (GV. 20) and Renzhong Point (GV. 26) with a dense-sparse waveforms,which can be transformed into each other when dense or sparse wave is terminated, facilitated the recovery of EEG after ischema. The local cerebral blood flow (ICBF) in the striatum decreased during MCAO, whereas EA improved the ICBF significantly. The neurological deficit scale significantly decreased after ischemia but increased in EA group. The brain swelling coefficient (right/left) increased significantly in the ischemia group, but EA attenuated this increase. The neuropathological study showed that EA could significantly decrease the infarct area (p<0.05) and increase the percentages of the residual cells in the ipsilateral striatum and cortex (p<0.05 respectively). These results implied that EA is effective to extenuate cerebral ischemic injuries following the transient middle artery occlusion in monkeys.