Chronic morphine-induced neuronal morphological changes in the ventral tegmental area in rats are reversed by electroacupuncture treatment.
The aim of this study was to observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on chronic morphine-induced neuronal morphological changes in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) in rats at electron-microscopic level. Fourteen days of administering escalating doses of morphine induced pathological morphological changes of neurons in the VTA: the rough endoplasmic reticulum swelled, membrane configuration of the nucleus and mitochondria blurred, and structure of myelin sheath changed. Both 2 and 100 Hz EA treatment reversed the morphological alterations induced by chronic morphine administration. The findings provide new evidence that EA may serve as a potential therapy in treating opiate addiction.
Chu
Ning-ning
NN
Neuroscience Research Institute, Peking University, China.
Xia
Wei
W
Yu
Peng
P
Hu
Ling
L
Zhang
Rong
R
Cui
Cai-lian
CL
D000818:Animals; D048429:Cell Size; D015671:Electroacupuncture; D018870:Endoplasmic Reticulum, Rough / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D009020:Morphine / Q000633:toxicity*; D009021:Morphine Dependence / Q000473:pathology*; D009186:Myelin Sheath / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D009685:Nuclear Envelope / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017557:Ventral Tegmental Area / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology
D009020:Morphine