Alzheimer's disease(AD)

a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by amyloid deposits and neurofibrillary degeneration

is the most common type of dementia and has no incurable therapies at the moment. Electroacupuncture(EA) therapy has been widely used in clinical treatment of AD

and has attained approving effects. This article reviews the development of researches on the mechanisms of EA underlying improving AD by diminishing β amyloid protein(Aβ) neurotoxicity

from 1) up-regulating hippocampal cellular autophagy

2) improving cerebral energy metabolism by activating oxidation stress-related factors peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator 1 alpha and sirtuin 1 in the hippocampus and frontal cerebral cortex

3) relieving inflammatory reaction by lowering expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha and high-mobility group box 1 and increasing expression of Interleukin 10

and 4) promoting degradation of Aβ_(1-42) by down-regulating expression of insulin degeneration enzyme

lipoprotein

transthyretin

apolipoprotein and α2 mcroglobulin. Meanwhile

a comprehensive clinical therapy of AD is proposed.