Acupuncture therapy can control focal epilepsy and
improve epilepsy-induced sleep disruption through modulation of opioid
receptors in the brain, according to an epilepsy model study recently published
in Journal of Biomedical Science.
In epilepsy, focal seizure refers to a seizure that
starts in, and affects just a part of brain. It might affect a large part of
hemisphere or just a small area of one of brain lobes. Symptoms of focal seizure
depend on the affected brain area and their function. Some simple focal
seizures are sometime called “warnings” or “auras” because for some people
simple focal seizure can develop into secondarily generalized seizure. So it is
important to have an effective treatment for focal seizure and prevent it
develop into more severe generalized seizure. Acupuncture is effective in treat
focal epilepsy. However the underlying mechanism is unclear.
Recently scientists in Taiwan, China tried to elucidate
the mechanism of acupuncture action on a focal epilepsy model with sleep disruption.
Before acupuncture epileptic model showed a focal epilepsy and decreased rapid
eye movement sleep and non rapid eye movement sleep. Acupuncture at acupoint
BL20 with low-frequency 30 min a day for 3 consecutive days suppressed focal
epilepsy and epilepsy-induced sleep disruption. The therapeutic effect of
electroacupuncture was blocked by naloxone, an opioids receptor antagonist.
The authors suggest that low-frequency electroacupuncture
is beneficial to focal epilepsy and its action is modulated through brain
opioid receptors.
Reference:
Yi PL et al., Low-frequency
electroacupuncture suppresses focal epilepsy and improves epilepsy-induced
sleep disruptions. J Biomed Sci. 2015 Jul 7;22(1):49. doi:
10.1186/s12929-015-0145-z. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4491875/
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