Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37993441›Full record

ArticleTranslational psychiatry2023

Electroacupuncture modulates glutamate neurotransmission to alleviate PTSD-like behaviors in a PTSD animal model.

Mudan Cai, Hee Ra Park, Eun Jin Yang

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Translational psychiatry, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
10citing papers in PubMed
6.8field-weighted citation impact, top 3% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

10 citing papers in PubMed, 17 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. [Electroacupuncture improves post-traumatic stress disorder in rats by alleviating hippocampal mitochondrial injuryNan fang yi ke da xue xue bao = Journal of Southern Medical University · 2025
    Article
  7. Merkel cell stimulation in fear and sensory signaling.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2025
    Article
  8. Review
  9. Review
  10. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Mudan CaiKM Science Research Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine (KIOM), 1672 Yuseong-daero, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34054, Korea.
Hee Ra ParkKM Science Research Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine (KIOM), 1672 Yuseong-daero, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34054, Korea.
Eun Jin YangKM Science Research Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine (KIOM), 1672 Yuseong-daero, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34054, Korea. yej4823@gmail.com.ORCID 0000-0002-2963-3923
Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine · KR

Funding

Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine (KIOM) KSN2212010
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder that develops after exposure to a traumatic event. Owing to the relatively low rates of response and remission with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors as the primary treatment for PTSD, there is a recognized need for alternative strategies to effectively address the symptoms of PTSD. Dysregulation of glutamatergic neurotransmission plays a critical role in various disorders, including anxiety, depression, PTSD, and Alzheimer's disease. Therefore, the regulation of glutamate levels holds great promise as a therapeutic target for the treatment of mental disorders. Electroacupuncture (EA) has become increasingly popular as a complementary and alternative medicine approach. It maintains the homeostasis of central nervous system (CNS) function and alleviates symptoms associated with anxiety, depression, and insomnia. This study investigated the effects of EA at the GV29 (Yintang) acupoint three times per week for 2 weeks in an animal model of PTSD. PTSD was induced using single prolonged stress/shock (SPSS) in mice, that is, SPS with additional foot shock stimulation. EA treatment significantly reduced PTSD-like behavior and effectively regulated serum corticosterone and serotonin levels in the PTSD model. Additionally, EA treatment decreased glutamate levels and glutamate neurotransmission-related proteins (pNR1 and NR2B) in the hippocampus of a PTSD model. In addition, neuronal activity and the number of Golgi-impregnated dendritic spines were significantly lower in the EA treatment group than in the SPSS group. Notably, EA treatment effectively reduced glutamate-induced excitotoxicity (caspase-3, Bax, and pJNK). These findings suggest that EA treatment at the GV29 acupoint holds promise as a potential therapeutic approach for PTSD, possibly through the regulation of NR2B receptor-mediated glutamate neurotransmission to reduce PTSD-like behaviors.

Indexed as

ElectroacupunctureStress Disorders, Post-TraumaticAnimalsDisease Models, AnimalGlutamic AcidHippocampusHumansMiceSynaptic TransmissionGlutamic Acid

Identifiers

PMID37993441
PMCPMC10665470
OpenAlexW4388909312

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.