EFFECTS OF ELECTROACUPUNCTURE ON EXTRACELLULAR CONTENTS OF AMINO-ACIDNEUROTRANSMITTERS IN RAT STRIATUM FOLLOWING TRANSIENT FOCAL CEREBRAL-ISCHEMIA

In this study, we investigated the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) on extracellular levels of amino acid neurotransmitters (glutamate, as partate, and taurine) in striatum and cerebral infarction dimensions i n rats subjected to transient focal cerebral ischemia induced by 2 hou rs of middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion. EA (15 HZ, 6 mA), delive red to points of ''Fengfu'' (Du.16) and ''Jinsuo'' (Du.8), remarkably reduced the cerebral infarction volume. EA significantly decreased the ischemia-induced increase of extracellular aspartate level, while sub stantially enhancing the elevation of taurine induced by ischemia. The se results indicated that the neuroprotective effect of EA against cer ebral ischemia may be related to a bidirectional regulation of extrace llular excitatory and inhibitory amino acid levels.