Brain Res. 1994 Dec; 666(1): 128-32.

Effects of electro-acupuncture and physical exercise on regional concentrations of neuropeptides in rat brain.

Bucinskaite V, Lundeberg T, Stenfors C, Ekblom A, Dahlin L, Theodorsson E.

Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.

The effects of single or repeated treatments with manual acupuncture (ACU), electro-acupuncture (ELACU) or physical exercise on neuropeptide Y (NPY), neurokinin A (NKA), substance P (SP), galanin (GAL) and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP)-like immunoreactivity (-LI) in different regions of the rat brain were studied. Initially the effect of microwave irradiation (MWI) was compared to decapitation on the recovery of neuropeptides, and significantly higher concentrations of SP-LI, NKA-LI and NPY-LI were found in the hippocampus, occipital cortex, pituitary and striatum following MWI. Repeated ELACU treatments significantly increased SP-LI, NKA-LI and NPY-LI in the hippocampus and NPY-LI in the occipital cortex. No changes were found in animals receiving ACU or performing physical exercise.