Electroacupuncture Accelerated the Expression of C-Fos Protooncogene in Dopaminergic Neurons in the Ventral Tegmental Area of the Rat

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Abstract
The mesolimbic dopaminergic system has been implicated in mediating morphine and electroacupuncture analgesia. In the present study, Fos immunoreactivity was used as a marker of neuronal activity to investigate if electroacupuncture could activate the dopaminergic neurons in the midbrain. Electroacupuncture stimulation significantly increased the number of Fos-positive dopaminergic neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), whereas no significant c-fos expression in the dopaminergic neurons was observed in the substantia nigra (SN). These results indicate that the VTA rather than the SN may play a role in mediating electroacupuncture analgesia