Is the Newly Described Interstitial Network the Anatomical Basis of Acupuncture Meridians? A Commentary

Improvement of electroacupuncture on APP/PS1 transgenic mice in behavioral probably due to reducing deposition of Aβ in hippocampus

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease for which currently no cure is available. Electroacupuncture (EA) has been widely used in China as an alternative therapeutic approach for neurological diseases. The cognitive decline in patients with AD has been reported to be closely related to the deposition of amyloid-β (Aβ) in the hippocampus of the brain, and the Morris water maze (MWM) test is a widely used method for assessing the behavior of animal models. In this study, the MWM test was performed to evaluate the effects of EA treatment on cognitive function and memory, and the micro-positron emission tomography scan was used to assess the hippocampal Aβ deposition. The results showed that the cognitive function of APP/PS1 mice was significantly improved and the rate of [18F]AV-45 uptake was reduced in the EA group, compared with the AD group. Our study suggested that EA can exert a therapeutic effect in AD by improving spatial learning and memory and inhibiting the hippocampal Aβ deposition.

Needle-nerve interaction in acupuncture: A morphological study

Some acupuncture effects are considered to be caused by interaction with nerve structures in and around the acupoints. The aim of the present study was to investigate the nerve structures that interact with the needle in acupuncture and to present their distribution in acupoint tissues. To do this, the microscopic anatomy and its alterations in the vicinity of the needle tract formed after experimental acupuncture in ST36 acupoint in rats were described by histological and immunohistochemical methods. Free nerve endings were seen in the epidermis, and surrounding hair follicles and sebaceous glands in the dermis. Muscle spindles and larger nerve fibres close to blood vessels were also observed deeper, in the muscular plane. Needling of the acupoint caused destruction and displacement of hair follicles together with their free nerve endings. Deeper, some muscle spindles and smaller nerves were displaced and disrupted. Larger nerves were not destroyed, but rather pushed aside by the needle. Furthermore, needle impact also caused degranulation of mast cells near the needle tract. The findings suggest multiple ways of interaction between acupuncture needle and the nerve structures of the acupoint. Acupuncture combines destruction, disruption and displacement of nerve structures, together with additional interaction with mast cells. Those mechanisms are involved in eliciting the needling sensation and are possibly associated with the systemic effect of acupuncture.