Mechanism research progress of acupuncture for ameliorating pain-related emotions through regulating GABAergic system

Pain-related emotions refer to the negative emotions such as depression and anxiety triggered by pain, which seriously impact patients’ physical and mental health as well as the quality of life. The gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) ergic system is the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter system in the brain and plays a significant role in the onset and development of pain-related emotions. Acupuncture can effectively ameliorate the negative emotions such as depression and anxiety caused by pain. Its mechanism is closely related to the regulatory effect of acupuncture on GABAergic system. Acupuncture is active in modulating GABAergic neurons, up-regulating the expression of GABAergic neuron subtype parvalbumin neurons and down-regulating the expression of GABAergic neuron subtype neuropeptide Y; up-regulating the mRNA expression of GABAA receptor (GABAAR) and the protein expression of GABAB2 in the amygdala, and down-regulating the protein expression of GABAAR in the anteiror cingulate cortex. Besides, acupuncture can regulate the expressions of the key factors such as gutamate decarboxylase and gama-amino-butyrate transporter that affect the GABAergic system, thereby relieve pain-related emotions. These findings provide the references for the mechanism research and clinical application of acupuncture in treatment of pain-related emotions.