Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a common neurodegenerative disease that accounts for approximately 70% of dementia. Following the global escalation of the aging process, the morbidity of AD is increasing rapidly. The current treatment for AD is mainly limited to medications, such as acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. However, the efficacy of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors in improving memory and cognitive functions is not satisfactory. It is a challenge to find an effective alternative therapy for ameliorating AD symptoms. As an important therapeutic technique in traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture has been proved effective in treating many neurologic diseases including AD. The efficacy of acupuncture is also acknowledged by the National Institutes of Health of the United States. Here, we summarized the effectiveness of acupuncture for treating AD. Especially, the role of acupuncture at certain acupuncture points in modulating the brain function through meridians activity based on Chinese meridian theory is discussed. How acupuncture at a certain acupoint can improve AD symptoms is also described. Furthermore, the possible molecular mechanisms of acupuncture for AD are reviewed, and the role of acupuncture in modulating signaling molecules in neural protection and homeostasis is highlighted. This study may help to understand the theoretical basis and potential molecular mechanisms of acupuncture therapy for AD.
针灸治疗阿尔茨海默病:有效性和潜在的分子机制 摘要 阿尔茨海默病是一种常见的老年神经系统退行性疾病，占据约70%的痴呆患者。随着全球老龄化进程的加剧，阿尔茨海默病的发病率迅速增长。目前的阿尔茨海默病的治疗局限于部分药物，例如乙酰胆碱酯酶抑制剂等，然而这些药物在改善记忆和认知功能的效果并不令人满意。因此，寻找能延缓或减轻阿尔茨海默病症状的有效治疗方法是一大挑战。针灸治疗，是传统中医药的一项重要治疗技术，已证实在包括阿尔茨海默病在内的多种神经源性疾病中有显著疗效。在此，我们将总结针灸治疗阿尔茨海默病的临床效果。尤其从中医经络理论的角度，总结针灸穴位的选穴理论基础。以及在临床实践中，针灸这些穴位如何改善阿尔茨海默病的症状，并且，本文还综述了针灸治疗阿尔茨海默病的分子机制，阐述针灸相应穴位后在降低β-淀粉样蛋白聚积，tau蛋白磷酸化以及减轻神经炎症和细胞凋亡等过程中相关的分子通路。本文将帮助我们理解针灸治疗阿尔茨海默病的中医理论基础和潜在的分子机制。.
Keywords: Alzheimer's disease; acupuncture; acupuncture point; mechanisms; traditional Chinese medicine; 阿尔茨海默病，中医药，腧穴，针灸，机制.
© 2021 American Association for Anatomy.