TY - JOUR T1 - Applications of Acupuncture Therapy in Modulating the Plasticity of Neurodegenerative Disease and Depression: Do MicroRNA and Neurotrophin BDNF Shed Light on the Underlying Mechanism? AU - Li,Xia, AU - Zhao,Jun, AU - Li,Zhigang, AU - Zhang,Li, AU - Huo,Zejun, Y1 - 2020/09/22/ PY - 2020/06/09/received PY - 2020/08/12/revised PY - 2020/09/05/accepted PY - 2020/10/8/entrez PY - 2020/10/9/pubmed PY - 2021/9/10/medline SP - 8850653 EP - 8850653 JF - Neural plasticity JO - Neural Plast VL - 2020 N2 - As the global population ages, the incidence of neurodegenerative diseases has risen. Furthermore, it has been suggested that depression, especially in elderly people, may also be an indication of latent neurodegeneration. Stroke, Alzheimer's disease (AD), and Parkinson's disease (PD) are usually accompanied by depression. The urgent challenge is further enforced by psychiatric comorbid conditions, particularly the feeling of despair in these patients. Fortunately, as our understanding of the neurobiological substrates of maladies affecting the central nervous system (CNS) has increased, more therapeutic options and novel potential biological mechanisms have been presented: (1) Neurodegenerative diseases share some similarities in their pathological characteristics, including changes in neuron structure or function and neuronal plasticity. (2) MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that contribute to the pathogenesis of diverse neurological disease. (3) One ubiquitous neurotrophin, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), is crucial for the development of the nervous system. Accumulating data have indicated that miRNAs not only are related to BDNF regulation but also can directly bind with the 3'-UTR of BDNF to regulate BDNF and participate in neuroplasticity. In this short review, we present evidence of shared biological substrates among stroke, AD, PD, and depression and summarize the possible influencing mechanisms of acupuncture on the neuroplasticity of these diseases. We discuss neuroplasticity underscored by the roles of miRNAs and BDNF, which might further reveal the potential biological mechanism of neurodegenerative diseases and depression by acupuncture. SN - 1687-5443 UR - https://www.unboundmedicine.com/medline/citation/33029119/Applications_of_Acupuncture_Therapy_in_Modulating_the_Plasticity_of_Neurodegenerative_Disease_and_Depression:_Do_MicroRNA_and_Neurotrophin_BDNF_Shed_Light_on_the_Underlying_Mechanism DB - PRIME DP - Unbound Medicine ER -