OBJECTIVETo explore the mechanism of acupuncture in treatment of multi-infarct dementia (MID).

METHODSThe multi-infarct dementia model was made by injection of emboli into the internal carotid artery. The dementia rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: model group, acupuncture group and non-acupoint acupuncture group, and a normal group and a sham operation group were set up. The expression of CuZnSOD in the hippocampus of the rats were detected by in situ hybridization and immunohistochemical assay, and effects of acupuncture were analyzed.

RESULTSThe expressions of mRNA and protein of CuZnSOD in the hippocampus of the model group were significantly attenuated as compared with that in the normal control group. Both the parameters above were significantly increased in the acupuncture group as compared with the model control group, but with no significant difference between the acupuncture group and the normal control group.

CONCLUSIONAcupuncture can up-regulate the expressions of mRNA and protein of CuZnSOD in the rat with MID, so as to strengthen activity of antioxidase and effectively remove free radicals and improve intelligence of MID rats.

Acupuncture ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Animals ; Dementia, Multi-Infarct ; Hippocampus ; metabolism ; Humans ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar

We report a 52-yr-old Korean woman with cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) whose diagnosis was confirmed by skin biopsy and the presence of a novel mutation in the NOTCH3 gene. The patient's clinical features were rather unusual in that 1) clinical presentations were only two episodes of stroke and mild dementia unaccompanied by mood disturbances or migraine, and 2) there was no family history. Brain MRI showed T2 hyperintensities in both temporal pole areas in line with the recent suggestion by O'Sullivan et al. that the abnormality could be a radiologic marker of CADASIL. FDG-PET also showed a hypometabolism in the temporal pole areas with an abnormal finding on MRI in addition to the hypometabolism in cortical and subcortical regions. We could learn from this case that CADASIL may be included in the differential diagnoses in patients with vascular dementia associated with a small vessel disease, even in the absence of a family history, especially when there are no known stroke risk factors and when the MRI shows T2 hyperintensity in the temporal pole regions.
Amino Acid Substitution ; Biopsy ; Brain/pathology ; Codon/genetics ; Dementia, Multi-Infarct/diagnosis ; Dementia, Multi-Infarct/genetics* ; Dementia, Multi-Infarct/pathology ; Dementia, Multi-Infarct/radionuclide imaging ; Female ; Human ; Korea ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Middle Aged ; Mutation, Missense* ; Neuropsychological Tests ; Point Mutation* ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins/genetics* ; Skin/pathology ; Tomography, Emission-Computed