title: [Effect of electroacupuncture intervention on behavioral changes and hippocampal excitatory amino acid transporter mRNA expression in depression rats].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To observe the influence of music-electroacupuncture (EA) and pulse EA on locomotor activity and hippocampal neuron numbers and excitatory amino acid transporters (EAATs) mRNA expression in depression rats, so as to explore their mechanisms underlying improvement of depression in acupuncture clinic.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty SD rats were randomly divided into blank control, depression model, medication, pulse EA and music-EA groups, with 12 rats in each group. Depression model was established by using chronic unpredictable mild stress protocols combined with solitary feeding. Rats of the medication group were treated by oral administration of fluoxetine (a standard antidepressant, 2 mg/kg). EA was applied to "Baihui" (GV 20) and "Yintang" (EX-HN 3) for 20 min, once a day for 21 days. The animals' ethological changes were detected by using field tests for recording the number of crossing squares and the number of rearing. The number of hippocampal neurons were calculated under microscope after Nissl's staining of the hippocampal tissue section. Hippocampal EAAT 1 and EAAT 2 mRNA expression levels were assayed by fluorescent quantitative real-time POR.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In comparison with the blank control group, the numbers of crossing and rearing movements, as well as the expression levels of hippocampal EAAT 1 and EAAT 2 mRNA were significantly lower in the model group (P < 0.01), while compared with the model group, the numbers of both crossing and rearing movements of the medication, pulse EA and music-EA groups were obviously increased (P < 0.01). Correspondingly, the expression levels of hippocampal EAAT 1 and EAAT 2 mRNA were considerably upregulated in the pulse EA and music-EA groups in comparison with the model group (P < 0.01). No significant differences were found among the medication, pulse EA and music-EA groups (P > 0.05). Results of Nissl's staining displayed that in the model group, the hippocampal neurons were loose in arrangement and some of them were absent, but in the medication, pulse EA and music-EA groups, the neurons were clear in shape and lined in order.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Both pulse EA and music-EA can effectively improve the locomotor activity and hippocampal neuronal structure in depression rats which may be closely associated with their effects in upregulating hippocampal EAAT 1 and EAAT 2 mRNA expression.
authors.affiliation: School of Acu-moxibustion and Tuina, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029 , China.
authors.forename: Qian
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.forename: Zhi-Gang
authors.initials: ZG
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yin-Shan
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Yu-Ping
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Mo
authors.forename: Hai-Jiang
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.forename: Chao-Ketu
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Saiyin
mesh_terms: D015669:Acupuncture Points; D000818:Animals; D001519:Behavior; D003863:Depression / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D015671:Electroacupuncture; D027341:Excitatory Amino Acid Transporter 1 / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D027342:Excitatory Amino Acid Transporter 2 / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D027341:Excitatory Amino Acid Transporter 1; D027342:Excitatory Amino Acid Transporter 2