Acupuncture stimulation to the sacral segment affects state of vigilance in rats.
The effects of acupuncture stimulation to the sacral segment on electroencephalograms (EEGs) and activity of locus coeruleus (LC) neurons were examined in urethane-anesthetized rats. In 71 of 112 trials, when EEGs displayed small amplitude and high frequency, stimulation to the sacral segment-induced large amplitude and slow EEGs with a latency of <450s and duration ranged from 32s to >42 min. Stimulus-induced EEGs comprised significant increases in delta power and significant decreases in theta and beta powers. After intraperitoneal administration of bicuculline, stimulation to the sacral segment failed to induce changes in EEG pattern. Firing rate of noradrenergic LC neurons decreased significantly from 2.9+/-1.5 to 1.1+/-0.8 Hz (n=11, p<0.001). Decreased neuronal activity exhibited close relationships with increased EEG amplitude. These results suggest that acupuncture stimulation to the sacral segment changes the state of animals from light anesthesia to deep anesthesia, and that this change is mediated by GABAergic systems suppressing the activity of noradrenergic LC neurons.
Wang
Hui
H
Department of Physiology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, 1 Hikari-ga-oka, Fukushima 960-1295, Japan.
Tanaka
Yoshiyuki
Y
Seki
Hideo
H
Jodo
Eiich
E
Kayama
Yukihiko
Y
Kawauchi
Akihiro
A
Miki
Tsuneharu
T
Otsuki
Manabu
M
Koyama
Yoshimasa
Y
D000200:Action Potentials / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects; D026881:Acupuncture; D015669:Acupuncture Points; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology*; D001640:Bicuculline / Q000494:pharmacology; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000379:methods; D005583:Fourier Analysis; D018756:GABA Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D008125:Locus Coeruleus / Q000166:cytology; D008160:Lumbosacral Plexus / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects*; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000187:drug effects / Q000528:radiation effects
D018756:GABA Antagonists; D001640:Bicuculline