Acupuncture for depression: Decoding neuroimmune crosstalk and targeting anti-inflammatory mechanisms

Acupuncture may alleviate depression by targeting multiple neuroimmune mechanisms.

• Acupuncture is associated with restoring balance in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis.
• It may inhibit the activation of microglia and astrocytes, which are involved in neuroinflammation.
• Regulation of autophagy is another potential mechanism through which acupuncture exerts its effects.
• Key inflammatory signaling pathways may be inhibited, while anti-inflammatory pathways could be activated via the vagus nerve.
• Acupuncture might rebalance gut-brain axis communication by modifying gut microbiota.
• Further research is needed to confirm acupuncture's efficacy in neuroimmunology for depression.

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