Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42007516›Full record

ArticleEuropean journal of histochemistry : EJH2026

Electroacupuncture combined with rTMS promotes neuronal regeneration

Juan Fan, Yu Ma, Liying Sun, Suhua Miao, Jianghong He

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in European journal of histochemistry : EJH, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

5 authors.

Juan FanTsinghua University Yuquan Hospital, Beijing.
Yu MaTsinghua University Yuquan Hospital, Beijing.
Liying SunTsinghua University Yuquan Hospital, Beijing.
Suhua MiaoTsinghua University Yuquan Hospital, Beijing.
Jianghong HeTiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Cerebral palsy (CP), resulting from perinatal brain injury, is characterized by persistent motor dysfunction largely due to impaired regeneration of the corticospinal tract. Electroacupuncture (EA) and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) are promising non-invasive neuromodulation approaches, but their combined effects and epigenetic mechanisms remain unclear. This study examined the synergistic neurorestorative potential of EA and rTMS in a hypoxic-ischemic brain damage (HIBD) model of CP, focusing on DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) regulation of the PI3K-AKT pathway. In vivo, neonatal rats subjected to HIBD were assigned to control, HIBD, EA, rTMS, or combined EA+rTMS groups and treated for four weeks. Motor function was assessed using rotarod, grid-walking, and grip strength tests, while neuronal and molecular changes were analyzed via histological and biochemical methods. In vitro, hypoxia-exposed cortical neurons underwent DNMT1 and PI3K modulation to clarify mechanisms. Combined EA+rTMS produced superior functional recovery compared to monotherapies, including a 2.1-fold increase in rotarod latency, 53% reduction in foot faults, and 80% improvement in grip strength vs untreated HIBD animals. Improvements were also greater than EA or rTMS alone. Histological findings showed enhanced neuronal density in cortical and spinal regions. At the molecular level, combined treatment suppressed DNMT1 expression and increased PI3K, phosphorylated AKT, GAP-43, and myelin basic protein. In vitro, DNMT1 knockdown enhanced PI3K-AKT signaling, neuronal survival, and axonal growth, while DNMT1 overexpression or PI3K inhibition negated these effects. Overall, EA+rTMS promotes functional and structural recovery in CP by epigenetically inhibiting DNMT1 and activating the PI3K-AKT pathway, supporting its translational potential for perinatal brain injury.

Indexed as

Cerebral PalsyDNA (Cytosine-5-)-Methyltransferase 1ElectroacupunctureNerve RegenerationNeuronsPhosphatidylinositol 3-KinasesProto-Oncogene Proteins c-aktTranscranial Magnetic StimulationAnimalsDisease Models, AnimalRatsRats, Sprague-DawleySignal TransductionDNA (Cytosine-5-)-Methyltransferase 1Dnmt1 protein, ratPhosphatidylinositol 3-KinasesProto-Oncogene Proteins c-aktcerebral palsyDNMT1Electroacupunctureepigenetic regulationneuronal regenerationPI3K-AKT pathwayrepetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation

Identifiers

PMID42007516
PMCPMC13122296

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
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.