Abstract：
Our previous study revealed that acupuncture may exhibit therapeutic effects on Alzheimer\'s disease (AD) through the activation of metabolism in memory-related brain regions. However, the underlying functional mechanism remains poorly understood and warrants further investigation. In this study, we used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI) to explore the potential effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on the 5xFAD mouse model of AD. We found that the EA group exhibited significant improvements in the number of platforms crossed and the time spent in the target quadrant when compared with the Model group (p < 0.05). The functional connectivity (FC) of left hippocampus (Hip) was enhanced significantly among 12 regions of interest (ROIs) in the EA group (p < 0.05). Based on the left Hip as the seed point, the rsfMRI analysis of the entire brain revealed increased FC between the limbic system and the neocortex in the 5xFAD mice after EA treatment. Additionally, the expression of amyloid-β(Aβ) protein and deposition in the Hip showed a downward trend in the EA group compared to the Model group (p < 0.05). In conclusion, our findings indicate that EA treatment can improve the learning and memory abilities and inhibit the expression of Aβ protein and deposition of 5xFAD mice. This improvement may be attributed to the enhancement of the resting-state functional activity and connectivity within the limbic-neocortical neural circuit, which are crucial for cognition, motor function, as well as spatial learning and memory abilities in AD mice.
摘要：
我们先前的研究表明，针灸可能通过激活与记忆相关的大脑区域的代谢而对阿尔茨海默病（AD）具有治疗作用。然而,潜在的功能机制仍然知之甚少，需要进一步调查。在这项研究中,我们使用静息态功能磁共振成像（rsfMRI）来探讨电针（EA）对5xFAD小鼠AD模型的潜在影响。我们发现，与模型组相比，EA组的平台交叉数量和在目标象限花费的时间显着改善（p＜0.05）。EA组12个感兴趣区域(ROIs)中左侧海马(Hip)的功能连接(FC)显著增强(p＜0.05).以左边的臀部为种子点,对整个大脑的rsfMRI分析显示，EA治疗后5xFAD小鼠的边缘系统和新皮质之间的FC增加。此外,与模型组比较,电针组Aβ蛋白表达和Hip沉积呈下降趋势(p＜0.05).总之,我们的发现表明，EA治疗可以改善5xFAD小鼠的学习和记忆能力，抑制Aβ蛋白的表达和沉积。这种改善可能归因于边缘-新皮层神经回路内静息状态功能活动和连通性的增强。这对认知至关重要，运动功能,以及AD小鼠的空间学习和记忆能力。
