Effects of acupuncture on neuro-electrophysiological activities in hippocampal CA1 and CA3 areas of rats with post-traumatic stress disorder

Objective To observe the effects of acupuncture on the characteristics of neuro-electrophysiological activity in hippocampal CA1 and CA3 areas of rats with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Methods Fifty Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into a blank group, a model group, a grasping group, a Western medicine group and an acupuncture group, with 10 rats in each group. Except for the blank group, rats in the other 4 groups all received the combined stress modeling method. Rats in the Western medicine group were intragastrically administrated with paroxetine hydrochloride, those in the acupuncture group received acupuncture intervention, those in the grasping group received grasping fixation, and those in the model group and the blank group did not receive any interventions. After 14 d of intervention, the interspike interval (ISI) and power spectral densities (PSD) were analyzed and mapped by in vivo multiple channels to record the neuron clusters discharge in the hippocampal CA1 and CA3 areas. Results Compared with the blank group, ISI was prolonged in the CA1 and CA3 areas of the model group and the grasping group, and the concentrated PSD distribution area moved down ( P <0.05 or P <0.01). Compared with the grasping group, the ISI of the CA1 and CA3 areas in the Western medicine group and the acupuncture group was shortened, and the concentrated PSD distribution area moved up ( P <0.05 or P <0.01). The ISI and PSD distributions in the CA1 and CA3 areas of the acupuncture group were not statistically different from those in the Western medicine group (both P >0.05). Conclusion Both acupuncture and paroxetine hydrochloride can significantly regulate the neuro-electrophysiology activity of hippocampal CA1 and CA3 areas in PTSD rats, which may be one of the mechanisms of acupuncture intervention to promote PTSD recovery.