ArticleExperimental neurobiology2026
Electroacupuncture Attenuates Neuroinflammation and Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction in Aged Rats by Suppressing the cGAS-STING Pathway.
Article in Experimental neurobiology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Electroacupuncture improves cognitive function and neuropsychiatric symptoms in breast cancer survivors: a pilot randomized controlled trial.Journal of the National Cancer Institute · 2026Trial
- Electroacupuncture at Neiguan (PC6) and Shuigou (GV26) regulates microglial polarization and neuroinflammation through the cGAS-STING signaling pathway in ischemic stroke.IBRO neuroscience reports · 2026Article
- cGAS-STING signaling in the anterior cingulate cortex modulates electroacupuncture analgesia in a rat neuropathic pain model.The Korean journal of pain · 2026Article
- Advances in electroacupuncture for perioperative neurocognitive disorders: mechanisms and clinical evidence.Chinese medicine · 2026Review
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7 authors.
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Abstract
Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is a clinically significant complication in elderly patients, largely driven by surgery-induced neuroinflammation. The cyclic GMP-AMP synthase-stimulator of interferon genes (cGAS-STING) pathway, a crucial regulator of innate immunity, has been implicated in neuroinflammatory activation. This study investigated whether electroacupuncture (EA) improves POCD by modulating this pathway in aged rats. Aged male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to sevoflurane anesthesia and splenectomy to establish a POCD model. Animals were divided into sham, POCD, POCD+EA, and POCD+EA+cGAS inhibitor groups. The EA groups received stimulation at Baihui (Governor Vessel 20 (GV20)), Neiguan (Pericardium 6 (PC6)), and Zusanli (Stomach 36 (ST36)) acupoints. Cognitive function was evaluated using the Morris water maze, while hippocampal expression of cGAS-STING pathway components and downstream effectors-interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3), nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β)-was assessed by Western blot. Cellular localization was determined by immunofluorescence staining. Compared with the Sham group, rats in the POCD group showed significant impairments in spatial memory, accompanied by upregulated protein expression of cGAS, STING, NF-κB, IRF3, and IL-1β in the hippocampus. Upon pathway activation, cGAS and STING proteins were predominantly co-localized with neurons, and their fluorescence intensity in the hippocampus was markedly increased. These behavioral deficits and molecular alterations were partially reversed in both the POCD+EA and POCD+EA+inhibitor groups. Electroacupuncture alleviates POCD in aged rats by inhibiting hippocampal cGAS-STING pathway activation and reducing neuroinflammation, suggesting a promising non-pharmacological strategy for POCD management.
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