A New fMRI Study on Acupuncture
Objective Our aim was to test the hypothesis that electroacupuncture
(EA) at acupuncture point LI4 activates specific brain regions by nerve
stimulation that is mediatied through a pathway involving the brachial plexus.
Methods Twelve acupuncture naive right-handed volunteers were
allocated to receive three sessions of EA at LI4 in a random different order
(crossover): (1) EA alone (EA); EA after injection of local anaesthetics into
the deltoid muscle (EA+LA); and (3) EA after blockade of the brachial plexus
(EA+NB). During each session, participants were imaged in a 3 T MRI scanner.
Brain regions showing change in blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signal
(activation) were identified. Subjective acupuncture sensation was quantified
after functional MRI scanning was completed. Results were compared between the
three sessions for each individual, and averaged.
Results Blockade of the brachial plexus inhibited acupuncture
sensation during EA. EA and EA+LA activated the bilateral thalamus, basal
ganglia, cerebellum and left putamen, whilst no significant activation was
observed during EA+NB. The BOLD signal of the thalamus correlated significantly
with acupuncture sensation score during EA.
Conclusions Blockade of the brachial plexus completely abolishes
patterns of brain activation induced by EA at LI4. The results suggest that EA
activates specific brain regions through stimulation of the local nerves
supplying the tissues at LI4, which transmit sensory information via the
brachial plexus.
Weidong Gu,
Wei Jiang,
Jingwei He,
Songbin Liu,
Zhaoxin Wang.
Blockade of the
brachial plexus abolishes activation of specific brain regions by
electroacupuncture at LI4: a functional MRI study. Acupunct Med doi:10.1136/acupmed-2015-010901
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