The Role of Medical Acupuncture Therapy in Alzheimer's Disease.

Objective

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by memory deficits and other cognitive disorders, which can be accompanied by personality changes. Long-term use of medications available to treat AD today have a variety of side-effects. Acupuncture, as a nonpharmacologic therapeutic modality providing stimulation at acupuncture points, using filiform needles, has been widely tested and used to manage of AD and can be a therapeutic option, considering its effectiveness and lack of side-effects.

Methods

This literature review examines the role of acupuncture in AD treatment.

Results

Acupuncture can ameliorate AD symptoms through decreasing amyloid-β protein, reducing neuroinflammation, enhancing the antioxidant system, improving neurogenesis, enhancing prosurvival protein, reducing proapoptotic protein, and regulating brain energy metabolism.

Conclusions

According to various research findings, acupuncture may be a therapeutic choice for addressing AD that avoids the long-term side-effects caused by medical therapy.