Acupuncture Stimulation at Baihui Acupoint Reduced Cerebral Infarct and Increased Dopamine Levels in Chronic Cerebral Hypoperfusion and Ischemia-Reperfusion Injured Sprague-Dawley Rats

Abstract

The Baihui acupoint has three Yang and five convergences; it is needled in order to activate spirit and resuscitate the brain in traditional Chinese medicine. Therefore, the purpose of the present study is to investigate the effect of acupuncture stimulation at the Baihui acupoint on cerebral infarct and dopamine levels. A chronic cerebral hypoperfusion animal model was established by permanent ligation of both common carotid arteries; a cerebral infarct animal model was established by blocking the blood flow of both common carotid arteries and the right middle cerebral artery for 90 min followed by reperfusion in Sprague-Dawly (SD) rats. The Baihui acupoint was stimulated for 20 min 3 days per week for 4 weeks. The cognitive and memory functions were evaluated by measuring the successful rates for rats to negotiate an 8-arm radial maze test; the test was performed after operation once a week for 4 weeks. Finally, the rats were sacrificed and their brains were removed; the dopamine levels in brain tissue were measured and the percentage of right to left hemisphere area was calculated. The results indicated that acupuncture stimulation (AS) did not increase the success rate of performing the 8-arm radial maze in chronic cerebral hypoperfusion and cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injured rat models. AS increased dopamine levels in the right cerebral cortex and hippocampus in the chronic cerebral hypoperfusion rats, and increased dopamine levels of the cerebral cortex in the cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injured rat's models. The neurological deficit score was similar between control and AS groups 24 hours after reperfusion, whereas the AS group comprised of ischemia-reperfusion injured rats had a greater percentage of right to left hemisphere area than the control group. In conclusion, AS at the Baihui acupoint for 4 weeks increased dopamine levels in the brain tissue of chronic cerebral hypoperfusion rats and of cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injured rats. The AS also reduced brain atrophy after cerebral infarct, suggesting that AS at the Baihui acupoint acts as neuroprotector. However, regular stimulation at the Baihui acupoint enhances cognition and memory functions need further study.

Pretreatment With Electroacupuncture Induces Rapid Tolerance to Focal Cerebral Ischemia Through Regulation of Endocannabinoid System

“…27,28 It has also been proved in experimental studies that acupuncture at the Baihui (GV 20) acupoint after ischemia could attenuate the cerebral ischemic injury in monkey and rat. 29,30 However, patients with stroke at the acute stage are usually too urgent to be treated by EA alone. Therefore, it would be beneficial to find a proper way to use EA in the prevention and alleviation of cerebral ischemic injury.…”

Comparing the Effects of Acupuncture and Electroacupuncture at Zusanli and Baihui on Cell Proliferation and Neuroblast Differentiation in the Rat Hippocampus

“…Similarly, ACU and EA have shown positive effects in the treatment of mental disorders, such as major depression [10,18]. It has been reported that ST36 (Zusanli) and GV20 (Baihui) are major acupoints to enhance the cognitive impairment induced by dementia [26,27] and to reduce the infarct volume induced by chronic cerebral hypoperfusion [2].…”

Neuroprotective effects of electroacupuncture on hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy in newborn rats association with increased expression of mTOR

“…Acupuncture at Baihui in combination with Dazhui promoted flow of blood, resuscitated consciousness, recuperated depleted yang, and balanced Yin and Yang (Fang et al, 2012). Amounting evidence of animal experiments have shown that acupuncture at the points located in the head and the neck could improve the blood circulation system of the brain, dilate brain blood vessel, improve the microcirculation, ameliorate cerebral edema, and activate the repair function of cerebral neurons to promote functional recovery (Kim et al, 2011;Chuang et al, 2007;Liu et al, 2012). Quchi (LI11) is the He-Sea point of the large intestine channel of Hand-Yangming.…”