□ The research team led by Dr. Ryu Yeonhee (co-corresponding author / first author and corresponding author: Seo Su Yeon) at the KM Science Research Division of the Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine (KIOM / President: Lee Jin-Yong) confirmed the alleviation of sleep disruption by acupuncture therapy and showed the mechanism of alleviating endoplasmic reticulum* stress resulting from caffeine.

※ Endoplasmic reticulum: A cell organelle that exists in all cells in human body and is involved in folding, assembling, and transporting of protein. When it is under stress, it cannot carry out its role properly and this can cause inflammation and various diseases.

◦ The outcome of the research was published in international academic journal Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy (IF 7.419; upper 9.3% in JCR) on September 23, 2022.

※ Paper title: Electroacupuncture Stimulation of HT7 Alleviates Sleep Disruption Following Acute Caffeine Exposure by Regulating BDNF-mediated Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress in the Rat Medial Septum

□ Stimulation of acupuncture points is known to be effective for various emotional disorders including depression, insomnia, and anxiety. Notably, the efficacy of acupoint stimulation for anxiety and insomnia has been clinically proven.

◦ However, the scientific basis for acupuncture point stimulation is not yet sufficient to lead to the development of medical devices and increase in clinical prescriptions.

□ The research team carried out electroacupuncture stimulation experiment (HT7) on acute caffeine exposure-induced animal models. HT7 is an acupuncture point known to regulate brain function, motor sensation, and emotions.

◦ Through the experiment, such outcomes as alleviation of endoplasmic reticulum stress in the brain system that influences sleep, changes in sleep-wake pattern (1.5 times longer wake time for the caffeine-treated group compared to the acupuncture therapy group), and recovery of motility were found.

□ Electroacupuncture therapy used in the study is a non-pharmacological therapy that can help manage sleep on a continued basis with few side effects. It is expected that the therapy will provide the foundation for developing therapeutic devices and electronic medicines with which to manage insomnia — occurring to people in contemporary society due to diverse reasons — on a continued basis.

□ Dr. Seo Su Yeon commented, “At present, there is not much focus on the methods of treatment and management of substances that people can use daily but cause major adverse effects when they are abused, such as alcohol and coffee. In this study, we just put emphasis on endoplasmic reticulum stress, but acupuncture treatment is likely to have much broader impact. We will continue our research to provide more scientific evidence related to the homeostatic control mechanism.”

□ The research was carried out as part of the key programs of KIOM, an affiliate of the Ministry of Science and ICT, and under the support of the mid-career researcher program of the National Research Foundation of Korea.