title: Effect of acupuncture stimulation on rats with depression induced by water-immersion stress.
abstract: Depression is a kind of mood disorder. The incidence of depressed patients has demonstrated an upward trend in recent years. Symptoms may improve with treatments such as pharmacotherapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy, but such approaches may exert strong side effects, and therapeutic effects can be slow. We studied how acupuncture stimulation would affect depression as a method to reduce side effects. Mild depression was induced in rats by 1-week water-immersion stress. We treated these mildly depressed rats with either acupuncture stimulation at the "Bai-Hui" (GV 20) and "Yintáng" (Ex-HN3) points, or antidepressants. We then measured the immobile time and serum corticosterone level in rats. Immobile time and serum corticosterone level decreased on stimulation with acupuncture or antidepressants. These findings suggest that mild depression in rats was improved by stimulation with acupuncture The mechanisms underlying such improvement may effect HPA system activated by this stress, and inhibit the response to lead to the disorder of the hippocampal nerve cell.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Suzuka University of Medical Science, 1001-1 Kishioka, Suzuka, Mie 510-0293, Japan.
authors.forename: Nobuyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tanahashi
authors.affiliation: Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Suzuka University of Medical Science, 1001-1 Kishioka, Suzuka, Mie 510-0293, Japan; Tianjin University of TCM, Tianjin 300193, China.
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takagi
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Health Science, Suzuka University of Medical Science, 1001-1 Kishioka, Suzuka, Mie 510-293, Japan.
authors.forename: Nozomi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Amagasu
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Health Science, Suzuka University of Medical Science, 1001-1 Kishioka, Suzuka, Mie 510-293, Japan.
authors.forename: Guifeng
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Suzuka University of Medical Science, 1001-1 Kishioka, Suzuka, Mie 510-0293, Japan.
authors.forename: Kaito
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mizuno
authors.affiliation: Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Suzuka University of Medical Science, 1001-1 Kishioka, Suzuka, Mie 510-0293, Japan.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kawanoguchi
authors.affiliation: Tianjin University of TCM, Tianjin 300193, China.
authors.forename: Guo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Yi
authors.affiliation: Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Suzuka University of Medical Science, 1001-1 Kishioka, Suzuka, Mie 510-0293, Japan; Graduate School of Health Science, Suzuka University of Medical Science, 1001-1 Kishioka, Suzuka, Mie 510-293, Japan; Tianjin University of TCM, Tianjin 300193, China; Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Suzuka University of Medical Science, 1001-1 Kishioka, Suzuka, Mie 510-0293, Japan. Electronic address: ishida-t@suzuka-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Torao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ishida
mesh_terms: D015670:Acupuncture Therapy; D000818:Animals; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003863:Depression / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D007099:Imipramine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007101:Immersion; D008297:Male; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D007099:Imipramine
keywords: Acupuncture; Bai-Hui; Depression; Water-immersion stress; Yintáng