A study published in January 2012 reports that electroacupuncture modulates levels of the stress-related protein neuropeptide Y in rats. Neuropeptide Y is elevated during ongoing stress and is believed to contribute to the physiological stress response. In the brain, neuropeptide Y is released from the hypothalamus and regulates energy intake/appetite. It also impacts release of coricotropin-releasing hormone from the hypothalamus, which is involved in the stress response.
In this study, researchers subjected rats to 14 days of cold stress. Some of the rats received electroacupuncture at the acupuncture point known as stomach 36 and other rats received a sham-acupuncture treatment. Neuropeptide Y levels were elevated in the plasma and in the paraventricular nucleus of hypothalamus.
The researchers found that pretreatment or concomitant treatment with electoracupuncture at acupuncture point stomach 36 resulted in suppressed levels of neuropeptide Y in both the plasma and hypothalamus. The rats that received the sham-electroacupuncture treatment did not show change in neuropeptide Y.
Furthermore, the electroacupuncture treatment showed a long-lasting effect, as the electroacupuncture treatment maintained suppressed levels of neuropeptide Y, even when it was discontinued early and the cold stress continued. The electroacupuncture treatment also inhibited the stress-induced increase in receptors for neuropeptide Y in the paraventricular nucleus.
According to researchers, electroacupuncture at stomach 36 “is effective in preventing one of the sympathetic pathways stimulated during chronic stress, and thus may be a useful adjunct therapy in stress-related disorders.”
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