The effect of electroacupuncture combined with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on rats′ learning and memory after middle cerebral artery occlusion and reperfusion

Abstract

Objective To study the effect of electroacupuncture combined with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on the infarct volume of rats with cerebral infarction as well as their behavior and their learning and memory ability. Methods Forty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into a normal group, a sham-operation group, a model group and a treatment group, each of 10. Focal cerebral ischemia and reperfusion was modeled in the latter two groups using thread occlusion of the middle cerebral artery. The treatment group was treated for 14 days with electroacupuncture combined with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, started 24 hours after the operation. The animals′ neurological functioning was quantified using modified neurological severity scores. The area of cerebral infarct was measured using 5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining. The rats′ learning and memory abilities were assessed using a Morris water maze and the expression of growth-associated protein 43 (GAP-43) in the peripheral area of the cerebral infarction. Results The average neurological deficit score (2.8±0.84) was significantly lower in the treatment group than in the model group, the average infarct volume was smaller and the escape latency was less. In the treatment group the average expression of GAP-43 was greater than in the model group. Conclusion Electroacupuncture combined with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation can promote the expression of GAP-43 in the peripheral area of a cerebral infarct, promoting neuronal remodeling and thereby improving neurological functioning as well as learning and memory ability. Key words: Cerebral ischemia; Electroacupuncture; Transcranial magnetic stimulation; Growth-associated protein 43