Acupuncture Interventions for Alzheimer's Disease and Vascular Cognitive Disorders: A Review of Mechanisms

Cognitive impairment (CI) related to Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular cognitive disorders (VCDs) has become a key problem worldwide. Importantly, CI is a neuropsychiatric abnormality mainly characterized by learning and memory impairments. The hippocampus is an important brain region controlling learning and memory. Recent studies have highlighted the effects of acupuncture on memory deficits in AD and VCDs. By reviewing the literature published on this topic in the past five years, the present study intends to summarize the effects of acupuncture on memory impairment in AD and VCDs. Focusing on hippocampal synaptic plasticity, we reviewed the mechanisms underlying the effects of acupuncture on memory impairments through regulation of synaptic proteins, AD characteristic proteins, intestinal microbiota, neuroinflammation, microRNA expression, orexin system, energy metabolism, etc., suggesting that hippocampal synaptic plasticity may be the common as well as the core link underlying the above mechanisms. We also discussed the potential strategies to improve the effect of acupuncture. Additionally, the effects of acupuncture on synaptic plasticity through the regulation of vascular–glia–neuron unit were further discussed.