• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.328-332
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• 2010

Acupuncture has been used for the treatment and prevention of stress-related disorders. In the present study, the effect of electroacupuncture on the behavioral and biochemical responses to restraint stress was evaluated in rats. Sprague-Dawley male rats underwent to immobilization stress for 21 days (6 hours/day). Electroacupuncture (2 Hz, 2 mA, and 10 minutes) was applied either to the acupuncture point HT7 (Shenmen) or the nonacupuncture point in the tail for the last 7 days. Rats were randomly divided into four groups: the normal group (n=10, without the restraint stress), the stress group (n=10, with restraint stress), the HT7 group (n=10, with restraint stress and electroacupuncture to HT7), and the NA group (n=10, with restraint stress and electroacupuncture to the nonacupuncture point). The anxiety-related behavior was tested using the elevated plus maze and the Vogel test on day 22. The expression of tyrosine hydroxylase in the locus coeruleus was measured by immunohistochemistry. R maze and the Vogecreased the response of the anxiety-related behavior. The number of tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactive cells were also increased. The HT7 group showed a significant decrease of anxiety-related behavioral response, compared to the stress group. The tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactive expression was also decreased in the HT7 group. These findings suggestthat electroacupuncture to HT7 might play a role in reducing the stress-related responses, which may be helpful for the treatment of stress-related disorders.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.85-106
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• 2003

Studies have shown that both the psychomotor stimulant effects and rewarding properties of addictive drugs, including morphine, are sensitized by repeated drug administration and it is suggested that both of these effects are mediated by the same or closely overlapping dopamine systems. Specifically, the mesolimbic dopamine system has been implicated in the reinforcing and sensitizing properties of morphine. In oriental medicine, Shenmen (HT7) point on the heart channel has been used to treat mental and psychosomatic disorders. This study was designed to investigate the effect of acupuncture on acute and repeated morphine-induced changes in extracellular dopamine levels using in vivo microdialysis and morphine-induced behavioral changes. In the morphine sensitization experiment, male Sprague-Dawley rats were treated twice a day for three days with increasing doses of morphine (10, 20 and 40 mg/kg, s.c.) or with saline. After 15 days of withdrawal, rats were challenged with morphine hydrochloride (5mg/kg, s.c.). Acupuncture was applied at bilateral Shenmen (HT7) points for 1 min after the morphine challenge. In the acute experiment, rats also received acupuncture for 1 min after an injection of morphine hydrochloride (5 mg/kg, s.c.). Results showed that acupuncture at the specific acupoint HT7, but not at control points (tail) significantly decreased both dopamine release and behavior induced by a systemic morphine challenge or a single sc morphine injection in the acute animals. These results suggest that reduction in sensitization may be one mechanism whereby acupuncture alleviates morphine craving in addicts.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.510-517
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• 2003

Studies have shown that both the psychomotor stimulant effects and rewarding properties of addictive drugs, including morphine, are sensitized by repeated drug administration and it is suggested that both of these effects are mediated by the same or closely overlapping dopamine systems. Specifically, the mesolimbic dopamine system has been implicated in the reinforcing and sensitizing properties of morphine. In oriental medicine, Shenmen (HT7) point on the heart channel has been used to treat mental and psychosomatic disorders. This study was designed to investigate the effect of acupuncture on acute and repeated morphine-induced changes in extracellular dopamine levels using in vivo microdialysis and morphine-induced behavioral changes. In the morphine sensitization experiment, male Sprague-Dawley rats were treated twice a day for three days with increasing doses of morphine (10, 20 and 40 mg/kg, s.c.) or with saline. After 15 days of withdrawal, rats were challenged with morphine hydrochloride (5 mg/kg, s.c.). Acupuncture was applied at bilateral Shenmen (HT7) points for 1 min after the morphine challenge. In the acute experiment, rats also received acupuncture for 1 min after an injection of morphine hydrochloride (5 mg/kg, s.c.). Results showed that acupuncture at the specific acupoint HT7, but not at control points (tail) significantly decreased both dopamine release and behavior induced by a systemic morphine challenge or a single sc morphine injection in the acute animals. These results suggest that reduction in sensitization may be one mechanism whereby acupuncture alleviates morphine craving in addicts.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.25-33
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• 2002

Substantial evidence suggests that behavioral and reinforcing effects of cocaine can be mediated by the mesolimbic dopaminergic system. Injections of cocaine can produce one of the immediate-early gene, c-fos expression in the brain and behavioral activation. Acupuncture as a therapeutic intervention is widely used for the treatment of many mental disorders such as drugs of abuse. In order to investigate whether acupuncture has an influence on cocaine-induced reinforcing and behavioral effects, we examined the effect of acupuncture on cocaine-induced locomotor activity and c-Fos expression in the nucleus accumbens and the striatum using Fos-like-immunoreactivity(FLI). Male SD rats received acupuncture for 1 min after injection of cocaine hydrochloride(1 mg/kg, i.v.). The employed acupuncture point, Shenmen$(HT_7)$, has been clinically used to treat mental and psychosomatic disorders. Injections of cocaine produced a marked increase in locomotor activity and FLI in the nucleus accumbens and the striatum. Acupuncture at $HT_7$, but not at control points($PC_6,\;TE_4$ or tail), significantly attenuated cocaine-induced increase in locomotor activity and Fos-like immunoreactivity. These results demonstrated that reduction in locomotor activity by acupuncture may be reflected by reduction of postsynaptic neuronal activity in the nucleus accumbens and the striatum. Our results suggest that acupuncture may have a therapeutic effect on cocaine addiction.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.7 no.1 s.12
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• pp.53-61
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• 2004

Substantial evidence suggests that behavioral and reinforcing effects of cocaine can be mediated by the mesolimbic dopaminergic system. It has been shown that repeated injections of cocaine produce increase in locomotor activity, expression of the immediate-early gene, c-fos in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), which was one of the main dopaminergic terminal areas. Herbal-acupuncture as a therapeutic intervention has been widely used for the treatment of many functional disorders such as drug abuse. Coptidis Rhizoma (CR) and its main component, berberine (BER) were selected as herbal medicine of herbal-acupuncture. Both medicines have been known to have the therapeutic effect on the central nervous system. In order to investigate the effects of CR and BER herbalacupuncture at shenmen (HT7) point (CR/H and BER/H) on the cocaine-induced behavioral sensitization, the influence of CR/H and BER/H on repeated cocaine-induced locomotor activity, the change of c-Fos expression in the brain by immunohistochemistry were examined. Male SD rats were given CR/H (0.4mg/kg) and BER/H (0.1mg/kg) 30 min before daily injections of cocaine hydrochloride (15mg/kg. i.p.) 10 days. After 3 days withdrawal, rats received a challenge injection of cocaine (15mg/kg, i.p.). Systemic challenge with cocaine produced much larger increased locomotor activity, accumbal Fos-like immunoreactivity in the NAc. Pretreatment with CR/H and BER/H significantly inhibited cocaine-induced locomotor activity, the change of c-Fos expression in the rats. Our data demonstrated that the inhibitory effects of cocaine-induced behavioral sensitization by CR/H and BER/H were closely associated with the reduction of presynaptic dopamine release in the NAc. These results suggest that CR/H and BER/H can be effectively applied to cocaine addiction.