title: Electroacupuncture at Hoku elicits dual effect on autonomic nervous system in anesthetized rats.
abstract: To address the effect of electroacupuncture (Ea) on the autonomic nerve activity, responses of arteriole blood pressure (BP), intragastric pressure (IGP) and parasympathetic vagal nerve activity (VNA) to Ea were investigated in alpha-chloralose anesthetized rats. The acupoint: Hoku (Li-4) was tested with two different stimulation frequencies (2 and 20 Hz). Decrease in VNA and basal IGP associated with elevation of BP were elicited during Ea at Hoku with stimulation intensity of 20 times of motor threshold. The pattern of response induced by the low frequency Ea (LFEa) was different from that by the high frequency Ea (HFEa), i.e. a tonic effect was elicited by the LFEa, while a phasic one was induced by the HFEa. All the results in this study implicated that: (1) Ea at Hoku may activate the sympathetic and simultaneously inhibit the gastric parasympathetic nerve; (2) Ea at Hoku with different stimulation frequencies may elicit distinct mechanism to induce therapeutic effect; (3) Ea at Hoku may ameliorate the hyperactive stomach in clinical therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, Chung-Shan Medical and Dental College, Taichung 10018, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Jiuan Miaw
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.forename: Chih Feng
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ting
authors.forename: Chi Chen
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Yuh Jeng
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Tzer Bin
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Lin
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D015671:Electroacupuncture; D005260:Female; D005769:Gastrointestinal Motility / Q000502:physiology*; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D011312:Pressure; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013270:Stomach / Q000294:innervation* / Q000502:physiology; D013272:Stomach Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology*; D014628:Vagotomy; D014630:Vagus Nerve / Q000502:physiology*