title: Effect of acupuncture-like stimulation on cortical cerebral blood flow in aged rats.
abstract: This study aimed to examine the effect of acupuncture-like stimulation on cortical cerebral blood flow (CBF) in aged rats and the contribution of the intracranial cholinergic vasodilatory system on its response. In urethane-anesthetized rats of 30-37 months of age, manual acupuncture-like stimulation of a forepaw produced an increase in the CBF, independent of systemic arterial pressure. The increase in the CBF induced by forepaw stimulation was abolished by intravenous administration of cholinergic receptor antagonists. Manual acupuncture-like stimulation of a forepaw increased extracellular acetylcholine release in the cerebral cortex. These results suggest that natural somatic afferent stimulation, such as acupuncture-like stimulation, activates the intracranial - most likely, basal forebrain - cholinergic vasodilatory system in the cerebral cortex, even in extremely aged rats.
authors.affiliation: Department of Autonomic Neuroscience, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, 35-2 Sakaecho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, 173-0015, Japan, suchida@center.tmig.or.jp.
authors.forename: Sae
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Uchida
authors.forename: Fusako
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kagitani
mesh_terms: D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000502:physiology; D015670:Acupuncture Therapy; D000344:Afferent Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001285:Atropine / Q000494:pharmacology; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D008464:Mecamylamine / Q000494:pharmacology; D018727:Muscarinic Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D018733:Nicotinic Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014664:Vasodilation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D018727:Muscarinic Antagonists; D018733:Nicotinic Antagonists; D008464:Mecamylamine; D001285:Atropine; D000109:Acetylcholine