The Journal of Practical Medicine ›› 2026, Vol. 42 ›› Issue (10): 1779-1786.doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1006-5725.2026.10.012

• Modernization of Traditional Chinese Medicine • Previous Articles    

Research progress on the pathogenesis of post-stroke depression and acupuncture treatment based on the reward circuit

Chonghe WANG1,Chenrui LI1,Yuntao YANG2,3(),Jianan CHEN2   

  1. 1.School of Acupuncture?Moxibustion,Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine,Zhengzhou 450046,Henan,China
    2.Department of Rehabilitation Medicine,Third Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine,Zhengzhou 450008,Henan,China
    3.Henan Shao's Acupuncture School Inheritance Studio,Zhengzhou 450003,Henan,China
  • Received:2025-12-25 Online:2026-05-25 Published:2026-05-27
  • Contact: Yuntao YANG E-mail:yyt02@163.com

Abstract:

The occurrence and development of post-stroke depression (PSD) are intricately associated with the dysfunction of the brain's reward circuit. When a stroke lesion affects crucial nodes of the reward circuit, including the prefrontal lobe, basal ganglia, and thalamus, it can disrupt their structure and connectivity, resulting in the malfunction of the neural network and the dysregulation of monoamine neurotransmitter systems. Simultaneously, neuroinflammation, the imbalance of neurotrophic factors, and glutamate excitotoxicity collectively exacerbate the damage to the circuit, ultimately presenting as a symptom cluster characterized by lack of motivation and anhedonia. The multi-target effect characteristics of acupuncture align well with the multi-cause and multi-system disorder features of PSD, an emotional disorder. Based on the reward circuit, this article systematically reviews how acupuncture attains an overall improvement of PSD by restoring the function of the neural network, facilitating the secretion of monoamine neurotransmitters and neurotrophic factors, and suppressing neuroinflammation and glutamate excitotoxicity, aiming to offer more reliable theoretical support and practical guidance for clinical treatment.

Key words: reward circuitry, post-stroke depression, acupuncture, pathogenesis

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