Mechanism underlying the protective effect of Kaixin Jieyu Fang on vascular depression following cerebral white matter damage

The Chinese compound Kaixin fieyu Fang can be used to treat vascular depression; however, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. This study established a rat model of chronic cerebral ischemia-caused white matter damage by ligation of the bilateral common carotid arteries. Rats received daily intragastric administration of a suspension of Kaixin ]ieyu Fang powder. After 3, 7 and 21 days of treatment, the degree of white matter damage in the cerebral ischemia rat model was alleviated, Bcl-2 protein and mRNA expression in brain tissue increased, and Bax protein and mRNA expression decreased. These results indicate that Kaixin Jieyu Fang can alleviate cere- bral white matter damage, and the underlying mechanism is associated with regulation of Bcl-2/ Bax protein and mRNA expression, which is one of possible mechanism behind the protective effect of Kaixin Jieyu Fang against vascular depression.

Vascular depression for radiology: A review of the construct,methodology,and diagnosis

Vascular depression(VD)as defined by magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)has been proposed as a unique subtype of late-life depression.The VD hypothesis posits that cerebrovascular disease,as characterized by the presence of MRIdefined white matter hyperintensities,contributes to and increases the risk for depression in older adults.VD is also accompanied by cognitive impairment and poor antidepressant treatment response.The VD diagnosis relies on MRI findings and yet this clinical entity is largely unfamiliar to neuroradiologists and is rarely,if ever,discussed in radiology journals.The primary purpose of this review is to introduce the MRI-defined VD construct to the neuroradiology community.Case reports are highlighted in order to illustrate the profile of VD in terms of radiological,clinical,and neuropsychological findings.A secondary purpose is to elucidate and elaborate on the measurement of cerebrovascular disease through visual rating scales and semi-and fully-automated volumetric methods.These methods are crucial for determining whether lesion burden or lesion severity is the dominant pathological contributor to VD.Additionally,these rating methods have implications for the growing field of computer assisted diagnosis.Since VD has been found to have a profile that is distinct from other types of late-life depression,neuroradiologists,in conjunction with psychiatrists and psychologists,should consider VD in diagnosis and treatment planning.

Effects of Kaixin Jieyu Decoction (开心解郁汤) on Behavior and Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein Expression in Cerebral Hippocampus of A Rat Vascular Depression Model

Objective：To explore the effects and anti-depression mechanisms of Kaixin Jieyu Decoction（开心解郁汤,KJD）.Methods：The rat vascular depression（VD） model was established by ligation of bilateral common carotid arteries（LBCCA） combined with chronic unpredictable mild stress（CUMS）.Forty Wistar rats were randomly divided into sham,VD model,VD ＋ high-dose KJD[15.4 g/（kg·d） of crude drug],VD ＋ medium-dose KJD[7.7 g/（kg·d） of crude drug],and VD ＋ fluoxetine[2.4 mg/（kg·d）]groups（r〉=8 in each group）,and the treatments lasted for 21 days.Changes of behavior and hippocampus pathology were observed.The level of glial fibrillary acidic protein（GFAP）protein and mRNA in hippocampus was detected respectively by immunohistochemistry and real-time polymerase chain reaction.Results：Compared with the sham group,rats in model group showed a variety of behavioral obstacles,including a significant reduction in sucrose consumption percentage,horizontal and vertical activity scores in open-field tests（P〈0.05 or P〈0.01）,pathological damage like neuronal degeneration,necrosis,and a significant decrease of GFAP protein and mRNA in hippocampus（P〈0.01）;compared with the model group,rats in the high-dose KJD group,medium-dose KJD group and fluoxetine group obtained notable higher behavioral scores,and pathological injury lessened in hippocampus with a increased expression of GFAP protein and mRNA（P〈0.05 or P〈0.01）;compared with the medium-dose KJD group and fluoxetine group,GFAP mRNA in highdose KJD group expressed higer（P〈0.05）.Conclusion：LBCCA combined with CUMS may cause depression-like behavioral changes resulting in the VD model of rats whose depression state can be ameliorated by KJD,and the mechanism of cerebral protection is related possibly with promoting expression of GFAP in hippocampus.

Acupuncture Treatment of Depressive Syndromes after Cerebral Vascular Accidents

Depressive syndrome is a common complication in cerebral vascular accidents (CVA), which accounts for 70% of the complications. A mild case of the syndrome is marked by grief, sleeping disturbance, weakened mental activities, worry, loss of interest, and irritability. A severe case may have worse symptoms and signs, except the above mentioned ones, such as anxiety, reduced appetite, hallucination, delusion, desperation, etc. The author has adopted acupuncture to treat depressive syndromes after CVA with good therapeutic result as reported in the following.