ArticleBrain and behavior2026
Electroacupuncture Ameliorates Cognitive Impairment in Vascular Dementia Rats: Potential Involvement of the Astrocyte-Synapse Axis.
Article in Brain and behavior, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
Abstract
introductionThis study investigated whether electroacupuncture at "Zhisanzhen" (EA-ZSZ) alleviates cognitive impairment in vascular dementia (VD) rats by regulating the astrocyte-synapse axis, reshaping the hippocampal secretory microenvironment, and preserving synaptic structural integrity.
methodsSprague-Dawley rats were divided into sham, VD, VD+EA, and VD+Nim (nimodipine) groups. The VD model was established via a modified bilateral common carotid artery occlusion (2-VO). After 21 days, learning and memory were evaluated using the Morris water maze. Hippocampal CA1 histopathology and ultrastructure were assessed by H&E and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). RNA-seq identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and pathways. GFAP, BDNF, bFGF, and cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α) were measured via immunofluorescence, Western blot, and ELISA.
resultsCompared to sham group, VD rats exhibited cognitive impairment, neuronal disorganization, and synaptic disruption. EA-ZSZ markedly alleviated cognitive deficits, outperforming nimodipine in spatial learning/memory, and restored synaptic ultrastructure (showing clearer clefts and increased vesicle abundance on TEM). RNA-seq showed that EA-ZSZ normalized pathways associated with cytokine-cytokine receptor interactions and synaptic signaling, restoring key "reversal genes" (Mdk, Homer1, and Npas4). These changes were accompanied by reduced GFAP, upregulated hippocampal BDNF/bFGF, and suppressed systemic cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α).
conclusionEA-ZSZ exerts significant neuroprotective effects in VD rats by modulating the astrocyte-synapse axis, suppressing neuroinflammation, and enhancing neurotrophic/structural support within the hippocampal microenvironment. This highlights its multi-target advantage over monotherapies in repairing damaged synaptic architecture, supporting its clinical use.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
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.