Zhong, Xiao-Ling, Tong, Bo-Ying, Yang, Yi-Han et al. · Zhen ci yan jiu = Acupuncture research · 2023 · DOI
This study tested whether a non-invasive electrical stimulation treatment applied to specific acupuncture points could help rats with chronic fatigue improve their memory and learning. Researchers found that the treatment reduced fatigue symptoms and improved memory performance in fatigued rats, possibly by protecting brain cells in the memory center of the brain.
Cognitive impairment and memory problems are recognized features of ME/CFS that significantly impact quality of life. This study provides preclinical evidence that TEAS may protect the brain structures involved in memory through molecular pathways (ERK/CREB/BDNF signaling), suggesting a potential non-pharmacological intervention that warrants further investigation in human ME/CFS populations.
This study was conducted only in rats with an induced fatigue model and does not prove that TEAS will work in humans with ME/CFS or that the same molecular mechanisms operate in human disease. The findings demonstrate association between TEAS and improved outcomes but do not establish causation, and the relevance of rodent sleep deprivation models to human ME/CFS pathophysiology remains unclear.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Zhong, Xiao-Ling, Tong, Bo-Ying, Yang, Yi-Han, Zeng, Hui-Ling, Lin, Chi, Jing, Yuan, et al. (2023). [Effect of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation on learning and memory ability of chronic fatigue syndrome rats and its mechanisms].. Zhen ci yan jiu = Acupuncture research. https://doi.org/10.13702/j.1000-0607.20221032
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-zhong-2023-effect-transcutaneous,
author = {Zhong, Xiao-Ling and Tong, Bo-Ying and Yang, Yi-Han and Zeng, Hui-Ling and Lin, Chi and Jing, Yuan and He, Ling-Ling and You, Shi-Jing},
title = {[Effect of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation on learning and memory ability of chronic fatigue syndrome rats and its mechanisms].},
journal = {Zhen ci yan jiu = Acupuncture research},
year = {2023},
doi = {10.13702/j.1000-0607.20221032},
note = {PubMed: 37186194},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/zhong-2023-effect-transcutaneous},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-26. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/zhong-2023-effect-transcutaneous
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