Electroacupuncture Improves Post-Stroke Cognition by Modulating Glucose Metabolism Pathways

<b>Post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI)</b> represents a severe and common sequela of stroke, profoundly impacting patients' quality of life by causing significant deficits in crucial cognitive functions such as <b>learning</b> and <b>memory</b>. Despite its prevalence, effective therapeutic strategies for PSCI remain limited, underscoring a critical unmet medical need. While <b>electroacupuncture</b>, a modified form of traditional acupuncture utilizing electrical stimulation, has garnered increasing attention for its neuroprotective and rehabilitative potential in various neurological conditions, the precise molecular mechanisms by which it alleviates PSCI, particularly its influence on metabolic pathways essential for brain function, have remained inadequately elucidated. This study aimed to bridge this knowledge gap by investigating specific signaling cascades and glucose transport mechanisms.

The findings of this study compellingly demonstrated that <b>electroacupuncture</b> treatment conferred a <b>significant</b> and <b>robust</b> alleviation of <b>learning</b> and <b>memory impairment</b> in the <b>post-stroke cognitive impairment</b> rat model. Treated animals exhibited <b>marked</b> improvements in their cognitive performance metrics, indicating a substantial neuroprotective and cognitive-enhancing effect when compared to untreated control groups. > The most pivotal discovery was the observed <b>pronounced upregulation</b> of key components within the IRS-1/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway and a <b>substantial increase</b> in the expression of <b>glucose transporters</b> in the brain regions affected by stroke, collectively pointing towards a direct and beneficial metabolic regulatory influence. Specifically, the study indicated that electroacupuncture treatment led to an <b>enhanced</b> activation of AKT and PI3K, alongside <b>elevated</b> levels of IRS-1, suggesting improved insulin signaling and cellular energy management. These observed molecular changes in metabolic and survival pathways were <b>directly correlated</b> with the <b>improved</b> cognitive outcomes, thereby establishing a strong mechanistic link between electroacupuncture, metabolic modulation, and functional recovery.