The Effects of Acupuncture on Glutamatergic Neurotransmission in Depression, Anxiety, Schizophrenia, and Alzheimer's Disease: A Review of the Literature
Neuropsychiatric disorders, including depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and Alzheimer's disease (AD), are diseases that are directly or indirectly associated with cerebral dysfunction and contribute significantly to disability in adult populations worldwide. Important limitations surround the...
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Published in | Frontiers in psychiatry Vol. 10; p. 14 |
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Main Authors | , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Switzerland
Frontiers Media S.A
12.02.2019
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Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Neuropsychiatric disorders, including depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and Alzheimer's disease (AD), are diseases that are directly or indirectly associated with cerebral dysfunction and contribute significantly to disability in adult populations worldwide. Important limitations surround the currently available pharmacologic agents for neuropsychiatric disorders and, moreover, many patients fail to respond to these therapies. Acupuncture might be a complementary therapy for neuropsychiatry disorders. In this review, we investigate the current evidence for the treatment efficacy of acupuncture in depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and AD. Secondly, we review recent advances in understanding of the dysregulated glutamate system underlying the pathophysiology of these disorders. Finally, we discuss the ways in which acupuncture treatment can potentially modulate glutamate receptors and excitatory amino acid transporters. We conclude that the treatment effects of acupuncture may be underpinned by its intervention in the dysregulated glutamate system. Further preclinical and clinical studies are needed to clarify the possible mechanisms of acupuncture in these neuropsychiatric disorders and to establish protocols for treatment guidelines. |
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Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-2 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-3 content type line 23 ObjectType-Review-1 Reviewed by: Marek Schwendt, University of Florida, United States; Li-Hong Kong, Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, China; Tuya Bao, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, China This article was submitted to Molecular Psychiatry, a section of the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry Edited by: Kenji Hashimoto, Chiba University, Japan |
ISSN: | 1664-0640 1664-0640 |
DOI: | 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00014 |