Effect of Ear Point Needle Embedding on Dysmnesia and β-amyloid Precursor Protein Expression in Vascular Dementia Rats

Objective To investigate the improving effect of ear point needle embedding on dysmnesia and its relationship with β-amyloid precursor protein(APP) expression in vascular dementia(VD) rats.Methods A rat model of VD was made by 4-vessel occlusion(4-VO) resulting in pan-cerebral ischemia and reperfusion.The behaviors were examined,an immunohistochemical examination performed and the pictures analyzed after ear points Brain and Kidney were acupunctured.Results A test of maze learning and memorizing ability showed that the achievement was significantly better in the ear acupuncture group than in the VD model group of rats(P0.05).The number of intracerebral APP-positive neurons was significantly smaller and its average optical density was significantly higher in the ear acupuncture group than in the VD model group of rats(P0.05).Conclusion Ear acupuncture improves VD rat's learning and memorizing ability.The reason may be that ear acupuncture inhibits excessive App expression to produce a protective effect on hippocampal neurons in VD rats.