认知功能障碍是衰老的主要表现之一，与脑内APP（淀粉样前体蛋白）代谢途径异常密切相关，此过程受到体内一系列microRNA的调控,其中miR-29 可下调BACE1(β-分泌酶1)从而减少APP分解为Aβ（β淀粉样蛋白），miR-101可以直接下调APP生成。艾灸疗法是一项传统中医外治法，具有延缓衰老、防病保健的功效。前期研究已发现，艾灸早期干预可以通过提高机体抗氧化损伤能力，控制脑内单胺类、氨基酸类神经递质异常代谢等途径减缓衰老小鼠认知能力的下降。本研究在前期研究基础上加以深化，提出“艾灸早期干预可通过调节体内mi-29、mi-101的表达，影响APP代谢过程和β淀粉样变生成，从而延缓衰老引起的认知障碍的发生”的假说。以快速衰老的SAMP8小鼠作为研究模型，观察艾灸早期干预对其认知功能的影响，并以miR-29/BACE1、miR-101/APP的调节机制作为切入点，探讨艾灸的作用机制。

The cognitive disorder is always accompanied by aging. It is highly related to the abnormal metabolic pathways of APP, which is regulated by series of microRNA, miR-29 could targeted down-regulate BACE1mRNA thus reduce the hydrolysis of APP, miR-101 targeted down-regulate the APPmRNA. Moxibustion is an important TCM external treatment, which has the function of preventing disease and maintaining health for people. It is proved that moxibustion intervention at the early stage could improve the ability of anti-oxidative damage, control the abnormal metabolism of monoamines, amino acid neurotransmitters and thus delay the decrease of cognitive function in aged mice. In this research, we promot the hypothesis of “moxibusiton could postponing the occurence of cognitive disorder in aging through regulating the mi-29, mi-101 and thus affect the APP metabolism and the amyloid β generation”. The SAMP8 mice will be used as the animal model, and the miR-29/BACE1, miR-101/APP will be the key points of the study, in order to reveal the mechanism of moxibustion.