Acupuncture treatment has been confirmed to be effective in alleviating depression and anxiety.
The Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine (KIOM) announced Sunday that a joint research team led by Dr. Kim Hyung-jun of KIOM and professors Ham Dae-hyun and Lee Bom-bi of Kyung Hee University has confirmed that acupuncture treatment alleviates depression and anxiety symptoms induced by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) through the trigeminal nerve pathway.
The team identified the mechanism by which electroacupuncture stimulation at the Baekhoe acupoint (GV20) on the crown of the head and the Indang acupoint (EX-HN3) on the forehead activates the trigeminal nerve and regulates neuroinflammation, thereby reducing depressive and anxiety behaviors.
The trigeminal nerve is a major cranial nerve responsible for facial sensation, transmitting pain and touch signals to the brain and also associated with emotional and autonomic nervous responses.
Analyzing the effects of electroacupuncture using a PTSD-like animal model, the team confirmed significant improvements in behavioral symptoms, including reduced depressive behaviors such as helplessness, decreased anxiety behaviors and increased exploratory behavior.
Stimulation at the Baekhoe and Indang acupoints produced dilation of blood vessels around the trigeminal ganglion and activation of related brain nerve nuclei, similar to direct stimulation of the trigeminal nerve, demonstrating that acupuncture stimulation acts through the trigeminal nerve pathway.
Electroacupuncture also effectively alleviated neuroinflammation by reducing the production of inflammatory cytokines and regulating the activation of certain immune cells in the brain.
In particular, electroacupuncture regulated the P2X7 receptor, a key regulator of brain inflammation, in the animal model, suppressing neuroinflammation and alleviating anxiety and depressive behaviors.
"We have demonstrated that acupuncture treatment can suppress neuroinflammation and regulate anxiety and depression through the trigeminal nerve pathway," Dr. Kim said. "We are verifying the neural regulatory effects of acupuncture through clinical research and developing safe brain stimulation technology that regulates the brain's nervous system and glymphatic system."
The study was published online on March 15, 2026 in the international journal Animal Models and Experimental Medicine (IF 3.4). Professor Lee Bom-bi is the first author, and Professor Ham Dae-hyun and Dr. Kim Hyung-jun are the corresponding authors.
