Article

Central nervous pathway for acupuncture stimulation: localization of processing with functional MR imaging of the brain--preliminary experience.

Department of Radiology, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Taiwan.
Radiology (impact factor: 5.73). 08/1999; 212(1):133-41.
Source: PubMed

ABSTRACT To characterize the central nervous system (CNS) pathway for acupuncture stimulation in the human brain by using functional magnetic resonance (MR) imaging.
Functional MR imaging of the whole brain was performed in two groups of nine healthy subjects during four stimulation paradigms: real acupuncture at acupoints ST.36 (on the leg) and LI.4 (on the hand) and control stimulations (minimal acupuncture and superficial pricking on the leg). Stimulations were performed in semirandomized, balanced order nested within two experiments. Psychophysical responses (pain, De-Qi effect [characteristic acupuncture effect of needle-manipulation sensation], anxiety, and unpleasantness) and autonomic responses were assessed. Talairach coordinates-transformed imaging data were averaged for a group analysis.
Acupuncture at LI.4 and ST.36 resulted in significantly higher scores for De-Qi and in substantial bradycardia. Acupuncture at both acupoints resulted in activation of the hypothalamus and nucleus accumbens and deactivation of the rostral part of the anterior cingulate cortex, amygdala formation, and hippocampal complex; control stimulations did not result in such activations and deactivations.
Functional MR imaging can demonstrate the CNS pathway for acupuncture stimulation. Acupuncture at ST.36 and LI.4 activates structures of descending antinociceptive pathway and deactivates multiple limbic areas subserving pain association. These findings may shed light on the CNS mechanism of acupuncture analgesia and form a basis for future investigations of endogenous pain modulation circuits in the human brain.

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Keywords

acupoints ST.36
 
acupuncture stimulation
 
amygdala formation
 
balanced order nested
 
central nervous system
 
control stimulations
 
endogenous pain modulation circuits
 
functional magnetic resonance
 
Functional MR imaging
 
future investigations
 
healthy subjects
 
LI.4 activates structures
 
needle-manipulation sensation]
 
nucleus accumbens
 
Psychophysical responses
 
rostral part
 
Stimulations
 
substantial bradycardia
 
superficial pricking
 
Talairach coordinates-transformed imaging data