Electro-acupuncture ameliorates cognitive impairment via improvement of brain-derived neurotropic factor-mediated hippocampal synaptic plasticity in cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injured rats

A previous study by our group found that electro‑acupuncture (EA) at the Shenting (DU24) and Baihui (DU20) acupoints ameliorates cognitive impairment in rats with cerebral ischemia‑reperfusion (I/R) injury. However, the precise mechanism of action has remained largely unknown. The present study investigated whether brain‑derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) mediates hippocampal synaptic plasticity as the underlying mechanism. Rats were randomly...