Research progress on the mechanism of neural electrical information transmission in acupuncture intervention of depression

Acupuncture has been proven effective in treating depressive disorders, and its neuroelectrophysiological mechanisms have drawn increasing scientific attention. This paper reviews recent neuroelectrophysiological studies on acupuncture in the treatment of depressive disorders. Studies have shown tha...

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Main Authors: Shu-juan LI, Min XIAO, Chong-bing MA, Xing-ke YAN
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: KeAi Communications Co., Ltd. 2025-07-01
Series:World Journal of Acupuncture - Moxibustion
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1003525725000431
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author Shu-juan LI
Min XIAO
Chong-bing MA
Xing-ke YAN
author_facet Shu-juan LI
Min XIAO
Chong-bing MA
Xing-ke YAN
author_sort Shu-juan LI
collection DOAJ
description Acupuncture has been proven effective in treating depressive disorders, and its neuroelectrophysiological mechanisms have drawn increasing scientific attention. This paper reviews recent neuroelectrophysiological studies on acupuncture in the treatment of depressive disorders. Studies have shown that acupuncture can modulate the Alpha and Theta wave frequencies and amplitudes of electroencephalograms; improve the latency and amplitude of event-related potential such as P300 and mismatch negativity (MMN); enhance the amplitude of motor-evoked potential and short-interval intracortical inhibition as measured by transcranial magnetic stimulation-electromyography (TMS-EMG); regulate both spontaneous and induced rhythmic activities; increase motor cortex excitability; and promote the electrical signal transmission in neuronal clusters. Acupuncture can enhance the long-term potentiation (LTP) detected by PCRT, repair the plasticity of synaptic functions, and promote the transmission of synaptic information; lower the action potential (AP) and population spike (PS) membrane voltage detected by PCRT, inhibit abnormal neuronal excitability, and restore electrical signal transmission across neuronal membranes. These findings, as summarized in this review, may reflect potential neuroelectrical signal transmission mechanisms involved in the acupuncture interventions for depressive disorders.
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institution DOAJ
issn 1003-5257
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publishDate 2025-07-01
publisher KeAi Communications Co., Ltd.
record_format Article
series World Journal of Acupuncture - Moxibustion
spelling doaj-art-815f6d0c18bc474f9ed6fe5aba95ad7e2025-08-20T03:05:34ZengKeAi Communications Co., Ltd.World Journal of Acupuncture - Moxibustion1003-52572025-07-0135316717210.1016/j.wjam.2025.06.004Research progress on the mechanism of neural electrical information transmission in acupuncture intervention of depressionShu-juan LI0Min XIAO1Chong-bing MA2Xing-ke YAN3School of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina, Gansu University of Chinese Medicine, Lanzhou 730000, China (甘肃中医药大学针灸推拿学院, 兰州 730000,中国)School of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina, Gansu University of Chinese Medicine, Lanzhou 730000, China (甘肃中医药大学针灸推拿学院, 兰州 730000,中国)School of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina, Gansu University of Chinese Medicine, Lanzhou 730000, China (甘肃中医药大学针灸推拿学院, 兰州 730000,中国); Department of Pain, Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Affiliated Hospital of Gansu University of Chinese Medicine, Lanzhou 730000, China (甘肃中医药大学附属医院针灸疼痛科, 兰州730000, 中国)School of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina, Gansu University of Chinese Medicine, Lanzhou 730000, China (甘肃中医药大学针灸推拿学院, 兰州 730000,中国); Department of Pain, Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Affiliated Hospital of Gansu University of Chinese Medicine, Lanzhou 730000, China (甘肃中医药大学附属医院针灸疼痛科, 兰州730000, 中国); Corresponding author.Acupuncture has been proven effective in treating depressive disorders, and its neuroelectrophysiological mechanisms have drawn increasing scientific attention. This paper reviews recent neuroelectrophysiological studies on acupuncture in the treatment of depressive disorders. Studies have shown that acupuncture can modulate the Alpha and Theta wave frequencies and amplitudes of electroencephalograms; improve the latency and amplitude of event-related potential such as P300 and mismatch negativity (MMN); enhance the amplitude of motor-evoked potential and short-interval intracortical inhibition as measured by transcranial magnetic stimulation-electromyography (TMS-EMG); regulate both spontaneous and induced rhythmic activities; increase motor cortex excitability; and promote the electrical signal transmission in neuronal clusters. Acupuncture can enhance the long-term potentiation (LTP) detected by PCRT, repair the plasticity of synaptic functions, and promote the transmission of synaptic information; lower the action potential (AP) and population spike (PS) membrane voltage detected by PCRT, inhibit abnormal neuronal excitability, and restore electrical signal transmission across neuronal membranes. These findings, as summarized in this review, may reflect potential neuroelectrical signal transmission mechanisms involved in the acupuncture interventions for depressive disorders.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1003525725000431AcupunctureDepressive disorderNeuroelectrophysiological techniquesNeural information transmission
spellingShingle Shu-juan LI
Min XIAO
Chong-bing MA
Xing-ke YAN
Research progress on the mechanism of neural electrical information transmission in acupuncture intervention of depression
World Journal of Acupuncture - Moxibustion
Acupuncture
Depressive disorder
Neuroelectrophysiological techniques
Neural information transmission
title Research progress on the mechanism of neural electrical information transmission in acupuncture intervention of depression
title_full Research progress on the mechanism of neural electrical information transmission in acupuncture intervention of depression
title_fullStr Research progress on the mechanism of neural electrical information transmission in acupuncture intervention of depression
title_full_unstemmed Research progress on the mechanism of neural electrical information transmission in acupuncture intervention of depression
title_short Research progress on the mechanism of neural electrical information transmission in acupuncture intervention of depression
title_sort research progress on the mechanism of neural electrical information transmission in acupuncture intervention of depression
topic Acupuncture
Depressive disorder
Neuroelectrophysiological techniques
Neural information transmission
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1003525725000431
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AT chongbingma researchprogressonthemechanismofneuralelectricalinformationtransmissioninacupunctureinterventionofdepression
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