Research progress of acupuncture in attenuating depression via regulating hippocampal neuroplasticity

Acupuncture has a significant effect on depression. The paper reviews the mechanism of acupuncture in treatment of depression based on hippocampal neuroplasticity from the relevant articles published in recent years from 3 aspects, i. e. promoting neuronal regeneration, improving synaptic plasticity efficiency, and repairing astrocytes structure and function. Acupuncture can regulate neural plasticity at multiple levels. It can not only directly repair the structure of neurons and glial cells through acupoint stimulation,but also indirectly participate in the regulation of neural plasticity through monoamine neurotransmitters,glutamate receptors,and related protein-mediated signaling pathways.