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Electroacupuncture Relieves Pain During Alcohol Withdrawal
Jiang-Hong Ye1, Wanhong Zuo1, Jing Li1
1Department of Anesthesiology, Rutgers, New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ, USA.
Medical Acupuncture
|December 28, 2020
Summary
Acupuncture, particularly electroacupuncture (EA), effectively reduces alcohol withdrawal hyperalgesia. This pain relief involves opioid and non-opioid pathways, plus anti-inflammatory effects, offering a nonaddictive treatment for alcohol use disorder pain.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Integrative Medicine
- Pain Research
Background:
- Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a chronic relapsing condition.
- Pain hypersensitivity during abstinence drives relapse in AUD.
- The lateral habenula (LHb) and midbrain dopamine pathways are implicated in AUD and negative emotional states.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent research on acupuncture for pain, especially in AUD.
- To explore the neuroanatomical basis of acupuncture's effects in AUD.
Main Methods:
- Review of preclinical studies on electroacupuncture (EA) and alcohol withdrawal.
- Investigation of neuroanatomical pathways, including the lateral habenula (LHb) and opioid receptors.
Main Results:
- EA effectively alleviates hyperalgesia during alcohol withdrawal.
- The analgesic effects of EA are mediated by μ-opioid receptors in the LHb.
- EA's pain relief can also occur via opioid-independent mechanisms and anti-inflammatory actions.
Conclusions:
- Acupuncture alleviates pain in AUD through opioid-dependent and -independent pathways.
- The anti-inflammatory effects of acupuncture contribute to pain relief in AUD.
- Acupuncture presents a nonaddictive therapeutic option for pain associated with substance use disorders.
