Peripheral electrical stimulation-induced suppression of morphine-induced CCP in rats: A role for dopamine in the nucleus accumbens

Bidirectional role of acupuncture in the treatment of drug addiction

Drug addiction is a chronically relapsing disorder, affecting people from all walks of life. Studies of acupuncture effects on drug addiction are intriguing in light of the fact that acupuncture can be used as a convenient therapeutic intervention for treating drug addiction by direct activation of brain pathway. The current review aims to discuss the neurobiological mechanisms underlying acupuncture's effectiveness in the treatment of drug addiction, on the basis of two different theories (the incentive sensitization theory and the opponent process theory) that have seemingly opposite view on the role of the mesolimbic reward pathways in mediating compulsive drug-seeking behavior. This review provides evidence that acupuncture may reduce relapse to drug-seeking behavior by regulating neurotransmitters involved in drug craving modulation via somatosensory afferent mechanisms. Also, acupuncture normalizes hyper-reactivity or hypoactivity of the mesolimbic dopamine system in these opposed processes in drug addiction, suggesting bidirectional role of acupuncture in regulation of drug addiction. This proposes that acupuncture may reduce drug craving by correcting both dysfunctions of the mesolimbic dopamine pathway.

Stress during the gestational period modifies pups' emotionality parameters and favors preference for morphine in adolescent rats

Experimental animal studies have shown that early life periods are highly vulnerable to environmental factors, which may exert prolonged impact on HPA axis function and on subsequent neurochemical and behavioral responses in adulthood. Here we evaluated the influence of environmental stressful situations in two different early life stages on stress-related behaviors, and morphine-conditioned place preference (CPP), which is indicative of addiction. While in the gestational stress (Gest-S) dams were exposed to daily sessions of chronic mild stress (CMS) for 2 weeks, in the postnatal stress (post-NS) the offspring were exposed daily to neonatal isolation from postnatal day (PND) 2 to PND 9 for 60 min. Animals exposed to post-NS showed lesser anxiety in different behavioral paradigms (elevated plus maze-EPM and defensive burying test-DBT) as well as increased exploratory behavior (open-field task-OFT), and no preference for morphine in CPP. In contrast, animals exposed to Gest-S showed increased corticosterone plasma levels together with anxiety symptoms and greater preference for morphine following three days of drug withdrawal. Our findings indicate that the gestational period is critical for stress, whose effects may be manifest throughout life. On the other hand, post-NS can trigger neuroadaptations able to overcome emotional consequences of early life. We hypothesized that Gest-S is able to modify responses to opioids along adulthood, which may facilitate development of addiction to these drugs.

Acupuncture-related techniques for the treatment of opiate addiction: a case of translational medicine

Drug addiction is a chronic brain disorder characterized by withdrawal symptoms that occur during drug abstinence and a high tendency of relapse. Compared with the currently available pharmacological interventions, acupuncture therapy has the potential to help drug addicts stay away from drugs without major adverse side effects. It has taken decades of research to optimize the parameters of electrical acupoint stimulation for detoxification and for relapse prevention, as well as to establish a safe and easy procedure by which drug addicts can use it on themselves. The discovery that acupuncture can trigger the release of opioid substances from the brain in the 1970s provided the inspiration. Following this, basic research on animals made it possible to understand the mechanisms of action and establish the procedure for treating drug addictions. This article reviews the past, present, and foreseeable future regarding the use of acupuncture-related technique for the treatment of opiate addiction from the perspective of translational medicine.

Endogenous opiates and behavior: 2008

This paper is the 31st consecutive installment of the annual review of research concerning the endogenous opioid system. It summarizes papers published during 2008 that studied the behavioral effects of molecular, pharmacological and genetic manipulation of opioid peptides, opioid receptors, opioid agonists and opioid antagonists. The particular topics that continue to be covered include the molecular-biochemical effects and neurochemical localization studies of endogenous opioids and their receptors related to behavior (Section 2), and the roles of these opioid peptides and receptors in pain and analgesia (Section 3); stress and social status (Section 4); tolerance and dependence (Section 5); learning and memory (Section 6); eating and drinking (Section 7); alcohol and drugs of abuse (Section 8); sexual activity and hormones, pregnancy, development and endocrinology (Section 9); mental illness and mood (Section 10); seizures and neurologic disorders (Section 11); electrical-related activity and neurophysiology (Section 12); general activity and locomotion (Section 13); gastrointestinal, renal and hepatic functions (Section 14); cardiovascular responses (Section 15); respiration and thermoregulation (Section 16); and immunological responses (Section 17).

Effects of electrical stimulation of acupuncture points on blood pressure

OBJECTIVE

Arterial hypertension is considered a major contributor to coronary arterial disease. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of Hans electrical stimulation of acupuncture points on blood pressure.

METHODS

Subjects with normal and elevated blood pressure were recruited and randomly assigned into control and experimental groups. Only the experimental subjects received active Hans electrical stimulation on 2 acupuncture points for 30 minutes each session, twice a week for 5 weeks.

RESULTS

Twenty-seven subjects (17 male) were recruited and completed the study. The average age of the subjects was 25 +/- 5 years. The youngest subject was 20 years old and the oldest was 36 years old. After using the Hans electrical stimulation on acupuncture points for 5 weeks, the systolic blood pressure decreased significantly in the experimental group with active treatment. The mean systolic blood pressure was 117.8 +/- 4.2 mm Hg before the treatment and was reduced to 110.8 +/- 5.5 mm Hg (P < .05) in the third week and to 110.1 +/- 5.8 mm Hg in the fifth week (P < .05). The mean diastolic blood pressure was 78.1 +/- 5.0 mm Hg before treatment and was reduced to 77.4 +/- 4.3 mm Hg (P > .05) in the third week and to 74.8 +/- 4.3 mm Hg (P > .05) in the fifth week, but both did not reach statistically significant levels. The systolic and diastolic blood pressures in the control group did not show statistically significant changes. The mean systolic blood pressure was 115.6 +/- 13.3 mm Hg before the treatment and was reduced to 113.0 +/- 12.6 mm Hg (P > 0.05) in the third week and to 112.2 +/- 10.3 mm Hg in the fifth week (P > .05). The mean diastolic blood pressure was 76.4 +/- 7.9 mm Hg before treatment and was reduced to 76.5 +/- 6.9 mm Hg (P > .05) in the third week and to 73.9 +/- 5.4 mm Hg (P > .05) in the fifth week.

CONCLUSION

It was concluded that Hans electrical stimulation of acupuncture points reduced systolic blood pressure but not the diastolic blood pressure in the current subject population with normal and elevated blood pressure.