Shen Fei-er, Wang Ting-ting, Jiang Jing-feng

(Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210023)

Abstract: Objective:  The  present  study  was  designed  to  observe  the  possible  effect  of Electroacupuncture  (EA)  on  behavioral  changes  of  footshock  stress  anxiety  model  rats  with different time and discuss the EA effects to decrease the anxiety-like behavior of model rats. Methods:  Model group was produced by inevitability footshock (0.8mA, random occurred once in  2  to  25  seconds,  lasted  for  5  minutes,  once  a  day,  continuous  for  14days)  combined  with separation, pre-treatment EA was performed at acupoint “Baihui” (DU20) and “Yintang” (GV29) for 14days，while normal would not be any processing; Elevated plus maze (EPM) was carried out to evaluated the Anxiety-like behavior.Results:  The results showed that inevitability footshock for  7,10  and  14  days  significantly  increased  the  percentage  of  time  and  entries  in  closed  arm compared  to  normal  group  in  the  EPM(P<0.01),  PREA  for  7and  10  days  can  significantly decreased them (P<0.01), for 14 days can slowly decreased them but do not have any significant difference.Conclusion:  Pre-treatment EA can caused anxiolytic-like effects  in rats  of footshock stress anxiety model rats with different time, among them the therapeutic effect on 7 and 10 day were better ,so as to the best treatment time, on the 14 day were declined. 

Key words:  Inevitability  footshock;  Anxiety;  Electro-acupuncture  (EA);  Elevated  plus  maze (EPM).