Fos-CreER-based genetic mapping of forebrain regions activated by acupuncture.
Zhiling GuoXiaoxiao LinTracy SamaniegoAlexander IsrebStacey CaoShaista MalikTodd C HolmesXiangmin XuPublished in: The Journal of comparative neurology (2019)
Acupuncture increasingly is accepted as a potential therapy for many diseases in the Western world. However, the mechanism of acupuncture is not well understood mechanistically. We have established that manual acupuncture (MA) at the Neiguan (P6) acupoint inhibits excitatory cardiovascular reflex responses through modulation of the autonomic nervous system in the brainstem. It is unclear whether P6 MA activates neurons in the brain regions beyond the brainstem. Thus, we mapped P6 specific neural activation by MA in the forebrain using the Fos-CreER; Ai9 mice model, which allows for enhanced sensitivity and efficiency compared to conventional immunohistochemical staining. Compared to sham-MA control without manual stimulation, we find that MA at P6 markedly increases c-Fos positive neurons in a number of the forebrain regions (n = 5 in each group). These activated regions include accumbens nucleus, caudate putamen, claustrum, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, amygdaloid nucleus, ventral posterior division of the thalamic nucleus, paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus, arcuate hypothalamic nucleus, primary and secondary somatosensory cortex, ectorhinal cortex, and dorsolateral entorhinal cortex. As MA at P6 activates neurons in relatively broad brain networks beyond the brainstem, our data suggest that acupuncture at this acupoint has the potential to influence physiological functions associated with autonomic and non-autonomic nervous systems through its effects on multiple brain regions.
Keyphrases
- resting state
- functional connectivity
- spinal cord
- white matter
- heart rate variability
- heart rate
- high resolution
- transcranial direct current stimulation
- blood pressure
- type diabetes
- clinical trial
- gene expression
- working memory
- metabolic syndrome
- cerebral ischemia
- adipose tissue
- multiple sclerosis
- genome wide
- dna methylation
- skeletal muscle
- risk assessment
- transcranial magnetic stimulation
- insulin resistance
- subarachnoid hemorrhage
- double blind