Electroacupuncture-based vagal stimulation attenuates epileptic seizures through a body-brain circuit

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Wang, Yu; Zhang, Qingyang; Wu, Shuangshuang; Hu, Keyu; Bu, Siyi; Song, Yingjie; Fei, Fan; Cheng, Heming; Wu, Di; Wang, Shuang; Guo, Yi; Xu, Cenglin; Li, Wenlu; Li, Lihong; Wu, Jiannong; Wang, Yi; Chen, Zhong
• 署名单位: Zhejiang Chinese Medical University; Zhejiang University; Zhejiang Chinese Medical University; Zhejiang University
• 刊物名称: PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0027-8424; 1091-6490
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2517600123
• 发表日期: 2026-03-24
• 页码: e2517600123
• 关键词: epilepsy; electroacupuncture; vagus nerve; cNTS; thread-embedding acupuncture; VAGUS NERVE-STIMULATION; transmission; neurons; access

摘要

Vagus nerve stimulation offers a promising strategy for seizure control but remains limited by its invasive delivery. Here, we reveal electroacupuncture (EA), an ancient neuromodulatory technique rooted in traditional Chinese medicine, at specific somatic acupoints linked to the vagal-brain axis to treat epilepsy and delineate the precise underlying neural mechanisms. We demonstrate that EA at the Dazhui (GV14) acupoint exhibits broad-spectrum antiseizure efficacy across multiple seizure models. Anatomical and functional analyses reveal that GV14 activates the vagal afferents and recruits neurons in the caudal nucleus of the solitary tract (cNTS), which are essential for seizure suppression. Using targeted recombination in active populations and chemogenetic manipulation, we show that GV14 EA suppresses seizures via the recruitment of a defined cNTS-locus coeruleus-amygdala circuit. Furthermore, through vagal afferent activity screening, we identify Yaoqi (EXB9) as an alternative therapeutic acupoint that activates a shared neural pathway to robustly attenuate seizures. Importantly, thread-embedding acupuncture at GV14 or EXB9 produces sustained seizure reduction in a chronic epilepsy model. Together, these findings elucidate a functional vagal-brain circuit underlying EA-induced seizure control and support its translational potential as a minimally invasive neuromodulatory strategy to replace vagal stimulation for epilepsy treatment.