OBJECTIVETo observe therapeutic effects of acupuncture at different acupoints on depression.

METHODSSeventy adult male rats with similar Open-Field score were randomly divided into a normal control group, a model group, a blank control group, a drug treatment group, an acupuncture group I ["Baihui" (GV 20), "Shenting" (GV 24)], II ]"Neiguan" (PC 6), "Sanyinjiao" (SP 6)], and III ("Baihui", "Shenting", "Neiguan" and 'Sanyinjiao"), 10 rats in each group. Separation feeding, long term unpredictability and medium stimulation stress techniques were applied to develop depression model rats. Changes of behaviors were investigated with Open-Field method and sucrose consumption trial.

RESULTSCompared with the normal control group, the score for the behavior and the consumption of sucrose reduced in the depression model group; compared with the blank control group, the score for the behavior and the consumption of sucrose increased in all the treatment groups during treatment. There was no significant difference among the acupuncture groups in the increase of behavior scores 21 days after treatment (P > 0.05), and there were significant differences in the increase of consumption of sucrose in the acupuncture group I and the increase of score for vertical movement in the acupuncture group III 14 days after treatment (P < 0.05, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONAcupuncture can change the behavior abnormality induced by separation feeding, long term unpredictability and medium degree stimulation depression model rats and different acupoint selection is a factor in acuounture treatment.