Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 May 27:2022:2440609.
doi: 10.1155/2022/2440609. eCollection 2022.

EEG and ECG Power Spectrum Analysis of Sedative Effects on Propofol-Anesthetized Rats with Electroacupuncture

Shu-Ying Zhu  1 , Jin Ma  1 , Ze-Ru Wang  2 , Qing Chai  1 , Liang-Chun Yan  3 , Jun Song  3 , Jin-Jun Shu  1 , Huai-Ming Wang  1 , Yi-Ding Chen  1
Affiliations

EEG and ECG Power Spectrum Analysis of Sedative Effects on Propofol-Anesthetized Rats with Electroacupuncture

Shu-Ying Zhu et al. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. .

Abstract

Background: In previous studies, electroacupuncture (EA) with 2/15 Hz has been shown to enhance the sedative effects in general anesthesia patients. Central lateral thalamic stimulation of 50 Hz showed an arousal effect in macaques. Therefore, it is worth studying the sedative effect of EA at peripheral acupoints with different frequencies, especially the frequency of around 50 Hz.

Methods: Rats were anesthetized under the constant infusion of propofol and EA at Zusanli (ST36) and Neiguan (PC6) locations. Electroencephalography (EEG) and heart rate were continuously recorded before and after the intervention by EA in the C group (control), LEA group (low-frequency group, 2/15 Hz diffuse/dense wave EA stimulation), and HEA group (high-frequency group, 50 Hz stimulation).

Results: In the LEA group, a significant increase in the power of the delta component with a decrease in the alpha component (p < 0.05) was observed after EA stimulation. In the HEA group, significant increases in the powers of alpha and beta components of EEG (p < 0.05) and a decrease in the delta component of EEG were observed (p < 0.05). The phenomenon is also shown in full-frequency waves. In addition, a significant decrease in the low-frequency/high-frequency ratio parameter was observed in the LEA group.

Conclusions: EA at bilateral ST36 and PC6 can enhance the sedative effects of propofol anesthesia in low-frequency stimulation but lighten the sedative effects in high-frequency (50 Hz) stimulation. The sympathetic-vagal balance was affected due to low-frequency EA.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Experimental paradigm. After animal preparation, including EEG and ECG connections, EEG and ECG were recorded for 10 minutes, representing a signal baseline before stimulation. Then, the rats received different interventions according to groups. After stimulation, EEG and ECG were recorded for another 30 min. Anesthesia in rats was performed by constant propofol infusion.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Full-frequency figure. PSDs of each frequency point (1 Hz frequency resolution). (a) Control group. (b) Low-frequency EA group. (c) High-frequency EA group. ∗P < 0.05, a significant difference between before and after EA. Short lines showed the frequency bands which had significant changes ((b) from left to right: 0–2 Hz and 9–12 Hz; (c) from left to right: 0–2 Hz, 6–10 Hz, 17–20 Hz, and 26–29 Hz).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Normalized PSDs of delta, theta, alpha, and beta waves in three groups. The power of each band was divided by the total power of the whole frequency band to get a proportion of each band. (a) Control group. (b) Low-frequency EA group. (c) High-frequency EA group. ∗P < 0.05, a significant difference between before and after EA.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Effect of low-frequency and high-frequency EA on (a) mean heart rate and (b) LF/HF ratio in propofol anesthetic rats ∗P < 0.05, a significant difference between before and after EA.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Bae H., Bae H., Min B. I., Cho S. Efficacy of acupuncture in reducing preoperative anxiety: a meta-analysis. Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine . 2014;2014:12. doi: 10.1155/2014/850367.8503671 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Liu Y., Park J. E., Shin K. M., et al. Acupuncture lowers blood pressure in mild hypertension patients: a randomized, controlled, assessor-blinded pilot trial. Complementary Therapies in Medicine . 2015;23:658–665. doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2015.06.014. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Li G., Huang C., Zhang X., et al. The short-term effects of acupuncture on patients with diabetic gastroparesis: a randomised crossover study. Acupuncture in Medicine . 2015;33:204–209. doi: 10.1136/acupmed-2014-010670. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Chen Y., Zhang H., Tang Y., Shu J. Impact of bilateral ST36 and PC6 electroacupuncture on the depth of sedation in general anaesthesia. Acupuncture in Medicine . 2015;33:103–109. doi: 10.1136/acupmed-2014-010594. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Stickgold R., Malia A., Fosse R., Propper R., Hobson J. A. Brain-mind states: I. Longitudinal field study of sleep/wake factors influencing mentation report length. Sleep . 2001;24:171–179. doi: 10.1093/sleep/24.2.171. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources