title: [Effect of electroacupuncture of different regions of the auricle on epileptic seizures in epilepsy rats].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To observe the anti-seizure effect of electroacupuncture (EA) at different sites regions of the auricle in awake rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty male SD rats were randomly divided into model, ear-apex, ear-outer-margin, earlobe, cymba-concha, cavitas-conchae groups (n = 10 in each group). A metal microelectrode (diameter: 50 microm) was implanted into the somatosensary cortex for recording the field potentials (FPs). Epileptic seizure model was established by intraperitoneal injection of pentylenetetrazol (PTZ, 60 mg/kg). EA (20 Hz, 1 mA) was applied to ear-apex, ear-outer-margin, earlobe, cymaba-concha and cavitas-conchae for 30 min, respectively. The epileptic behavior changes (scores) were determined in the light of Racine's method, and the epileptic seizure was assessed according to the epileptic FPs (5-folds above the basic amplitude) of the cerebral cortex.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In comparison with the model group, the latency of the first seizure of epilepsy in the ear-outer-margin, earlobe, cymba-concha, cavitas-conchae groups were increased significantly (P < 0.01), while the scores of epileptic behavior and the duration of seizure shown by FPs decreased considerably in the ear-apex, ear-outer-margin, earlobe, cymba-concha, cavitas-conchae groups (P < 0.01). Comparison among the five EA treatment groups showed that the effects of both cymba-concha and cavitas-conchae groups were significantly superior to those of ear-apex, earlobe and ear-outer-margin groups in increasing the latency of the first seizure of epilepsy, and reducing the scores of the epileptic behavior and seizure duration (P < 0.01). No significant differences were found between the cymba-concha and cavitas-conchae groups in the above-mentioned 3 indexes (P > 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  EA of cymba-concha and cavitas-conchae has a good effect in suppressing epileptic seizures, which may be mediated via the auricular branch of the vagus nerve.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Institute of Acu-moxibustion, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China. hewei7811@gmail.com
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Yan-Hua
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Pei-Jing
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Rong
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ben
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhu
mesh_terms: D015669:Acupuncture Points; D020831:Acupuncture, Ear; D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004423:Ear / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000503:physiopathology; D015671:Electroacupuncture; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley