Acupuncture promotes antidepressant effects by enhancing hippocampal neurogenesis via Wnt/β-catenin signaling in a chronic unpredictable mild stress-induced rat depression model.

Can Acupuncture Help With Depression? New Research Points to a Brain-Based Answer

If you or someone you love has struggled with depression, you may have wondered whether acupuncture could help — and a new animal study offers some compelling biological clues about how it might work.

Researchers induced depression in rats using a method called chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS), which mimics the kind of ongoing, low-level stress that can wear people down over time. Rats in the study showed classic signs of depression: loss of pleasure, reduced movement, increased anxiety, and a tendency to give up. Sound familiar?

The research team then treated some of these rats with acupuncture at two specific points: Shangxing (GV23), located on the forehead area, and Fengfu (GV16), at the base of the skull. The results were striking. Acupuncture-treated rats showed meaningful improvements in all depression-related behaviors — performing comparably to rats treated with fluoxetine, the active ingredient in Prozac.

So what was happening inside the brain? The scientists discovered that acupuncture appeared to "wake up" a chemical signaling pathway called Wnt/β-catenin, which plays a key role in generating new brain cells in the hippocampus — a region deeply involved in mood and memory. Depression had essentially slowed down this process of new brain cell growth, and acupuncture helped restore it.

This matters because it suggests acupuncture isn't just providing temporary relief — it may actually support the brain's ability to heal and regenerate at a cellular level.

While this study was conducted in rats and more human research is needed, it adds to a growing body of evidence supporting acupuncture as a meaningful complementary option for depression care.

If you're considering acupuncture for depression, speak with your doctor and seek out a licensed, board-certified acupuncturist with experience in mental health support.

This controlled animal study investigated acupuncture at GV23 and GV16 as an intervention for CUMS-induced depression in male Sprague-Dawley rats across five groups: control, CUMS model, CUMS + fluoxetine, CUMS + acupuncture, and CUMS + sham acupuncture. Behavioral outcomes were assessed via sucrose preference test, open field test, forced swim test, and elevated plus maze. Hippocampal neurogenesis was evaluated through Ki67 and doublecortin (DCX) immunofluorescence, with Wnt/β-catenin pathway components (Wnt3a, DVL2, β-catenin, GSK-3β, p-GSK-3β) quantified by Western blot and RT-PCR. CUMS significantly suppressed neurogenesis markers and downregulated Wnt/β-catenin signaling. Acupuncture treatment restored Ki67- and DCX-positive cell counts, upregulated Wnt3a, DVL2, and β-catenin expression, and increased the p-GSK-3β/GSK-3β ratio to levels comparable to fluoxetine. Clinical takeaway: GV23 and GV16 may exert antidepressant effects partly through hippocampal neurogenesis mediated by Wnt/β-catenin activation, supporting their consideration as adjunct points in depression protocols.