This study was designed to investigate the effects of electroacupuncture on the expression of ADAM 10 and ADMA17 in cere-bral cortex of SAMP8 mice and the underlying mechanism.Forty 8-month-old SAMP8 mice,serving as models for studying the earliest neurodegenerative changes associated with Alzheimers disease (AD),were equally and randomly divided into model,electroacupuncture,drug,and blank control groups (n =10 rats/group).Rats learning and memory abilities were assessed by the Morris water maze test.ADAM10 and ADAM 17 expression in the cerebral cortex was detected by immuno-histochemical staining and western blot analysis,respectively.The escape latency was significantly increased,and the number of squares crossed and the swimming distance were significantly reduced in the model group than in the blank control group (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01).The escape latency was significantly decreased,and the number of squares crossed and the swimming distance were significantly increased in the electroacupuncture and drug groups than in the model group (all P < 0.05).Ex-pression levels of ADAM10 and ADMA17 in the cerebral cortex were increased in the electroacupuncture and drug groups than in the model group,and the increases were greater in the electroacupuncture group than in the drug group.These re-sults suggest that both electroacupuncture therapy and drug treatment can improve the learning and memory abilities of SAMP8 mice,but the former exhibits better improving effects.The mechanism underlying electroacupuncture therapy is likely to be related to the up-regulation of ADAM 10 and ADMA 17 expression.