Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 14, 2026
Acupuncture Treatment in a Mouse Model of Chronic Hypoxia-Induced Cognitive Dysfunction
Published on: December 8, 2023
Electroacupuncture Ameliorates Learning and Memory Deficits in Vascular Cognitive Impairment Rats Through Activation
Fang Wan1, Lu Wang1, Qing-Yong Wang1
1International Acupuncture and Moxibustion Innovation Institute, School of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China.
Aims:
This study aimed to elucidate the potential mechanism, especially neural circuit mechanisms, through which electroacupuncture (EA) mitigates cognitive decline in a rat model of vascular cognitive impairment (VCI).
Methods:
Using a rat two-vessel occlusion (2VO) model, we assessed the therapeutic impact of EA on spatial and non-spatial memory. We integrated in vivo fiber photometry and immunofluorescence to monitor neuronal activities in the dentate gyrus (DG) and supramammillary nucleus (SuM), while Golgi staining was employed to evaluate hippocampal synaptic plasticity. Viral tracing and chemogenetic manipulations were utilized to characterize the functional necessity of the SuMGlu-DG circuit.
Results:
EA at ST36 significantly restored learning and memory function. This functional recovery was accompanied by improved synaptic plasticity and heightened neuronal activity in the DG. Fiber photometry revealed that EA specifically activated glutamatergic neurons in the SuM, a key upstream regulator of the DG. Notably, targeted chemogenetic inhibition of the SuMGlu-DG circuit abolished the cognitive improvements typically induced by EA.
Conclusion:
Our findings demonstrate that EA ameliorates learning and memory deficits in VCI through regulating the SuMGlu-DG circuit.