Abstract
As the global population ages, the incidence of neurodegenerative diseases has risen. Furthermore, it has been suggested that depression, especially in elderly people, may also be an indication of latent neurodegeneration. Stroke, Alzheimer's disease (AD), and Parkinson's disease (PD) are usually accompanied by depression. The urgent challenge is further enforced by psychiatric comorbid conditions, particularly the feeling of despair in these patients. Fortunately, as our understanding of the neurobiological substrates of maladies affecting the central nervous system (CNS) has increased, more therapeutic options and novel potential biological mechanisms have been presented: (1) Neurodegenerative diseases share some similarities in their pathological characteristics, including changes in neuron structure or function and neuronal plasticity. (2) MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that contribute to the pathogenesis of diverse neurological disease. (3) One ubiquitous neurotrophin, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), is crucial for the development of the nervous system. Accumulating data have indicated that miRNAs not only are related to BDNF regulation but also can directly bind with the 3′-UTR of BDNF to regulate BDNF and participate in neuroplasticity. In this short review, we present evidence of shared biological substrates among stroke, AD, PD, and depression and summarize the possible influencing mechanisms of acupuncture on the neuroplasticity of these diseases. We discuss neuroplasticity underscored by the roles of miRNAs and BDNF, which might further reveal the potential biological mechanism of neurodegenerative diseases and depression by acupuncture.
Highlights
Neurodegenerative diseases, including stroke, Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and Parkinson’s disease (PD), are chronic progressive diseases caused by the apoptosis, loss, and degeneration of neurons in the central nervous system (CNS) and alter neuroplasticity [1]
BDNF was positively correlated with a longer time span of disease, the severity of PD symptoms, and more advanced stages of disease [49]. These findings suggest that BDNF may be implicated in the pathogenic mechanisms of PD
By analysing the above literature, we found that miR-132 and miR-124 participate in neural plasticity. miR-132 dysregulation in major depressive disorder is associated with multiple facets of brain function and structure in the frontolimbic network [111]
Summary
Neurodegenerative diseases, including stroke, Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and Parkinson’s disease (PD), are chronic progressive diseases caused by the apoptosis, loss, and degeneration of neurons in the central nervous system (CNS) and alter neuroplasticity [1]. Major depressive disorder has strong relationships with neurodegenerative diseases and the natural processes of ageing: they have overlapping clinical features, such as mood disorder [2], and neuroplasticity mediated by neurotrophic factors that orchestrate adaptive defensive behaviours [3]. Neuroplasticity is the ability of the brain’s neural network system to adapt to changes in internal and external environments and to alter the structure and function of neurons . Brain structural plasticity is Neural Plasticity an extraordinary tool that allows the mature brain to adapt to environmental changes and repair itself after lesions or disease and slow ageing. Its function involves behavioural performance, learning and memory, mental activity, and other neurobiological processes
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