Effect of electroacupuncture applied at acupoint on neurogenesis in hippocampal dentate gyrus and behavior of rats with lithiumª²pilocarpine induced status epilepticus

    WANG Jinª²Cun£¬HUANG Yuanª²Gui£¬WEN Xiaoª²Ni£¬WANG Weiª²Dong£¬XIA Feng£¬WANG Xiaoª²Mu£¬YANG Fang£¬WU Songª²Di

    Department of Neurology, Xijing Hospital£¬Fourth Military Medical University£¬Xi¬ðan 710033, China

    ¡¾Abstract¡¿ AIM: To investigate the effect of electroacupuncture applied at Baihui acupoint on the behavior and electroencephalogram of the rats with lithiumª²pilocarpine induced status epilepticus (SE) and provide some experimental basis for treating the seizures with acupoint stimulation. METHODS: Adult male SD rats were subjected to lithiumª²pilocarpine induced SE model. By using bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) labeling method and immunohistochemistry, we compared the proliferation rate of neural precursor cells in the dentate gyrus between the intervention group and the control group at 7, 14 and 42 d after SE. The alteration of behaviors was observed. RESULTS: Electroacupuncture applied at Baihui acupoint significantly increased the number of BrdU labeled cells in the dentate gyrus 7 and 14 d after SE was induced (P<0.01), but did not influence the number of BrdU labeled cells in the 42 d epileptic living rats (P>0.05). Spontaneous recurrent seizures(SRSs) happened less in the intervention group (42 d after epileptic seizure) than in control groups(P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Electroacupuncture applied at Baihui acupoint can efficiently increase the proliferation of neural precursor cells in the dentate gyrus after epileptic seizures, indicating that electroacupuncture at Baihui acupoint, to some extent, participates in the alteration of neural plasticity in hippocampus in epileptic rats. ......