title: Ionic mechanism of acupuncture on improvement of learning and memory in aged mammals.
abstract: Memory impairment is one of the most frustrating problems for older people. Several acupoints were used for the treatment of memory loss in old rats, and the elemental mechanism of acupuncture therapy was studied with Inductively Coupled Plasma Spectroscopy. The result indicates that acupuncture improves learning and memory ability significantly in aged animals when compared with controls. This study demonstrated that elevations of eight essential elements (B, Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Na, and P) in the brain are the ionic basis for the therapeutic effect of acupuncture. A hypothetical model of the mechanism of acupuncture therapy is described.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing.
authors.forename: Q S
authors.initials: QS
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.forename: Z C
authors.initials: ZC
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yin
mesh_terms: D015670:Acupuncture Therapy; D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D003300:Copper / Q000378:metabolism; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000378:metabolism; D007477:Ions; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning; D008568:Memory; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012964:Sodium / Q000378:metabolism; D013788:Thalamus / Q000378:metabolism; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D007477:Ions; D003300:Copper; D012964:Sodium; D002118:Calcium