The effect of electroacupuncture on extinction responding of heroin-seeking behavior and FosB expression in the nucleus accumbens core

Laser meridian massage decreased craving in men with opioid use disorder on methadone maintenance treatment

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusion

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.

Effects of Electroacupuncture on Methamphetamine-Induced Behavioral Changes in Mice

Methamphetamine (METH) is a major drug of abuse worldwide, and no efficient therapeutic strategies for treating METH addiction are currently available. Continuous METH use can cause behavioral upregulation or psychosis. The dopaminergic pathways, particularly the neural circuitry from the ventral tegmental area to the nucleus accumbens (NAc), have a critical role in this behavioral stage. Acupuncture has been used for treating diseases in China for more than 2000 years. According to a World Health Organization report, acupuncture can be used to treat several functional disorders, including substance abuse. In addition, acupuncture is effective against opioids addiction. In this study, we used electroacupuncture (EA) for treating METH-induced behavioral changes and investigated the possible therapeutic mechanism. Results showed that EA at the unilateral Zhubin (KI9)–Taichong (LR3) significantly reduced METH-induced behavioral sensitization and conditioned place preference. In addition, both dopamine and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) levels decreased but monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) levels increased in the NAc of the METH-treated mice receiving EA compared with those not receiving EA. EA may be a useful nonpharmacological approach for treating METH-induced behavioral changes, probably because it reduces the METH-induced TH expression and dopamine levels and raises MAO-A expression in the NAc.

Long-term ethanol self-administration induces ΔFosB in male and female adolescent, but not in adult, Wistar rats

Early-onset ethanol consumption predicts later development of alcohol use disorders. Age-related differences in reactivity to ethanol's effects may underlie this effect. Adolescent rats are more sensitive and less sensitive than adults to the appetitive and aversive behavioral effects of ethanol, respectively, and more sensitive to the neurotoxic effects of experimenter-administered binge doses of ethanol. However, less is known about age-related differences in the neural consequences of self-administered ethanol. ΔFosB is a transcription factor that accumulates after chronic drug exposure and serves as a molecular marker of neural plasticity associated with the transition to addiction. We analyzed the impact of chronic (18 two-bottle choice intake sessions spread across 42days, session length: 18h) ethanol [or only vehicle (control group)] self-administration during adolescence or adulthood on the induction of ΔFosB in several brain areas, anxiety-like behavior, and ethanol-induced locomotor activity and conditioned place preference (CPP) in Wistar rats. Adolescent rats exhibited a progressive escalation of ethanol intake and preference, whereas adult rats exhibited a stable pattern of ingestion. Few behavioral differences in the open field or light-dark test were observed after the intake test. Furthermore, ethanol self-administration did not promote the expression of ethanol-induced CPP. There were, however, large age-related differences in the neural consequences of ethanol drinking: a significantly greater number of ethanol-induced ΔFosB-positive cells was found in adolescents vs. adults in the prelimbic cortex, dorsolateral striatum, nucleus accumbens core and shell, and central amygdala nucleus capsular and basolateral amygdala, with sex-related differences found at central amygdala. This greater ethanol-induced ΔFosB induction may represent yet another age-related difference in the sensitivity to ethanol that may put adolescents at higher risk for problematic ethanol use.

Establishing an animal model for National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (NADA) auricular acupuncture protocol

The use of opioids in the treatment of chronic pain has increased dramatically in the past few decades making them one of the most commonly prescribed medications in the US. However, long-term use of opioids is limited by development of tolerance (decreased antinociceptive efficacy) and opioid-induced hyperalgesia - paradoxical sensitization to noxious (hyperalgesia) and non-noxious (allodynia) stimuli. Novel adjunctive therapies are needed to increase the efficacy and prolong the duration of action of opioids in chronic pain treatment. Acupuncture is often used as an adjunct therapy for the treatment of symptoms induced by non-clinical use of opioids. The National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (NADA) auricular acupuncture protocol is the most common form of acupuncture treatment for substance abuse. The standardized, easy to use and virtually painless procedure make it an attractive complementary treatment option for patients suffering from opioid-induced adverse effects. Clinical trials designed to test the efficacy of the NADA protocol yielded contradictory results. The mechanism by which NADA acupuncture could serve as a successful treatment remains unknown. Therefore, establishing an animal model of NADA acupuncture can provide a tool for investigating the efficacy and cellular mechanisms of NADA treatment. Previous studies have shown that repeated morphine administration in rodents can produce locomotor sensitization and reduce analgesic potency of a challenge dose of morphine, indicating development of morphine tolerance. Here we show that NADA acupuncture treatment can both reduce morphine-induced locomotor sensitization and prevent the development of morphine tolerance in rats, thus validating a new model for NADA acupuncture studies. Our data provides support for evidence-based use of NADA acupuncture as a new adjunctive approach that can potentially improve the side-effect profile of morphine and other prescription opioids.

Acupuncture therapy for drug addiction

Acupuncture therapy has been used to treat substance abuse. This study aims to review experimental studies examining the effects of acupuncture on addiction. Research and review articles on acupuncture treatment of substance abuse published between January 2000 and September 2014 were searched using the databases ISI Web of Science Core Collection and EBSCO’s MEDLINE Complete. Clinical trial studies on the efficacy of acupuncture therapy for substance abuse were classified according to substance (cocaine, opioid, nicotine, and alcohol), and their treatment protocols, assessments, and findings were examined. A total of 119 studies were identified, of which 85 research articles addressed the efficacy of acupuncture for treating addiction. There were substantial variations in study protocols, particularly regarding treatment duration, frequency of electroacupuncture, duration of stimulation, and choice of acupoints. Contradictory results, intergroup differences, variation in sample sizes, and acupuncture placebo effects made it difficult to evaluate acupuncture effectiveness in drug addiction treatment. This review also identified a lack of rigorous study design, such as control of confounding variables by incorporating sham controls, sufficient sample sizes, reliable assessments, and adequately replicated experiments.