Effects of Acupuncture on Behavioral Stereotypies and Brain Dopamine System in Mice as a Model of Tourette Syndrome

Abstract

Tourette syndrome (TS), a developmental neurobehavioral disorder, is characterized by involuntary behavioral stereotypies. Clinical studies have confirmed the positive effect of acupuncture on treating TS, but the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. In the present study, we used behavioral tests, Western blotting, double-immunofluorescence labeling, and fluorescence spectrophotometry to investigate whether acupuncture performed at acupoints “Baihui” (GV20) and “Yintang” (GV29) affected behavioral stereotypies and regulated the dopamine (DA) system in three different brain regions in Balb/c mice injected with 3,3′-iminodipropionitrile (IDPN) as a model for TS. We found that acupuncture alleviated behavioral stereotypies, down-regulated the expression of D1R and D2R in the striatum (STR) and substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc), and decreased the concentration of DA in the STR, SNpc, and prefrontal cortex (PFC) as well. Moreover, acupuncture reduced the expression of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) in the SNpc. Conclusively, acupuncture ameliorated behavioral stereotypies by regulating the DA system in the STR, SNpc, and PFC. Our findings provide novel evidence for the therapeutic effect of acupuncture on TS.

Electroacupuncture Attenuates Neuropathic Pain and Comorbid Negative Behavior: The Involvement of the Dopamine System in the Amygdala

“…The amygdala is an important direct-response region involved in EA effects (Fang et al, 2009;Wang et al, 2016), and the endogenous dopaminergic system can be regulated by EA (Torres-Rosas et al, 2014;Lin et al, 2019). Previous studies, including our own, have confirmed that EA can reduce neuroinflammation in animal models of neuropathic pain (Liang et al, 2016;Wang et al, 2018).…”

“…EA could elevate circulating DA levels to control systemic inflammation (Torres-Rosas et al, 2014). Recent research has also indicated that the brain DA system is an important immediate effector in EA treatment (Ye et al, 2017;Lin et al, 2019). Additionally, the amygdala has dopaminergic innervation and DA receptors, and DA is released in the amygdala in response to both physiological and pathophysiological stimuli (Lee et al, 2017).…”

Electro‐acupuncture alleviates adolescent cocaine exposure‐enhanced anxiety‐like behaviors in adult mice by attenuating the activities of PV interneurons in PrL

“…According to the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, stimulations at the acupoints along Governor Vessel (GV) carry out beneficial effects against brain diseases. In clinic, acupunctures at the points at Yintang (GV29, located midway between the medial ends of the two eyebrows) and Baihui (GV20, located in the midpoint between the auricular apices) have been convinced to be beneficial for the treatment of depression, 25,26 Alzheimer's disease 27,28 and Tourette syndrome 29,30 …”

Establishment and evaluation of a compound fear behavior model of Tourette’s syndrome in rats

“…TH is the ratelimiting enzyme for DA biosynthesis. Variations in the TH gene may play a role in the pathogenesis of TS (16), and downregulation of TH gene levels can lead to the decrease of DA receptor expression (17). PKA can activate the cAMP2-responsive element-binding protein (CREB) and induce gene transcription upon binding to a response factor in the promoter region of the TH gene, thereby regulating TH activity (18).…”