Effects of acupuncture on Alzheimer's disease: the mechanistic study

Abstract

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a degenerative disease of the central nervous system characterized by memory loss and cognitive impairment, often accompanied by emotional apathy, agitation, depression, delusions aggression, and other psychological symptoms [1–3]. Psychological symptoms such as apathy, agitation, and depression tend to increase with the duration and severity of AD, seriously affecting the prognosis of patients, and also bringing a heavy burden to society and families [4]. The pathology of AD is characterized by nerve cell dysfunctions and loss of neurons in the central nervous system, ultimately leading to mental changes [5]. However, the etiology of AD is still unclear, among which the recognized mainstream theories include the cholinergic hypothesis, Amyloid β-protein (Aβ) cascade hypothesis, and inflammatory response, etc. Current AD pharmacotherapy relies on cognitive enhancement therapy, and only five AD medications have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration [5], including cholinesterase inhibitors [6] (including tacrine, donepezil, rivastigmine, and galantamine) and Nmethyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonists (memantine) [7]. These drugs have toxic side effects and only temporarily relieve AD symptoms, but can not stop or slow the progression of AD, rather than meeting the clinical need. In addition, the efficacy and safety of drugs targeting Aβ in ameliorating cognitive decline in patients have been greatly questioned. Therefore the search for effective AD treatments remains urgent and challenging. Acupuncture is a non-pharmacologic therapy of traditional Chinese medicine, dating back at least 2,000 years. Its attention and acceptance are growing worldwide, showing promising therapeutic effects and good safety. And we are pleased to see that the number and quality of randomized controlled trials of acupuncture for AD have increased in recent years to scientifically demonstrate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for AD [8].