Effect of acupuncture in the treatment of seasonal allergic rhinitis: results from a randomised controlled trial

Purpose: Alzheimer's disease (AD) causes progressive hippocampus dysfunctions leading to the impairment of learning and memory ability and low level of uptake rate of glucose in hippocampus.What' more, there is no effective treatment for AD.In this study, we evaluated the beneficial and protective effects of electro-acupuncture in senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 (SAMP8).Methods: We used the Morris water maze (Mwm) and micro-PET tests to evaluate the effect of elelctro-acupuncture on animal model of AD.In the electro-acupuncture paradigm, electro-acupuncture treatment was performed once a day for 15 days on 7.5-month-old SAMP8 male mice.The prescription of acupuncture points included DU20 Baihui, DU 26 Shuigou and EX-HN3 Yintang (the significant extra point).The locations of these points referred to the National Acupuncture Society for Experimental Research developed the "laboratory animal acupuncture atlas".In the normal control paradigm and AD control group, 7.5-month-old SAMR1 male mice and SAMP8 male mice were grabbed and bandaged while electroacupuncture group therapy, in order to ensure the same treatment conditions, once a day, 15 days.Results: From the Morris water maze (MWM) test, we found the treatment of electro-acupuncture can improve the spatial learning and memory ability of SAMP8 mouse; and from the micro-PET test, we proved that after the electro-acupuncture treatment the level of uptake rate of glucose in hippocampus was higher than normal control group.Conclusion: These results suggest that the treatment of electro-acupuncture may provide a viable treatment option for AD.