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J Neuroimaging. 2005 Jan;15(1):43-9. Related Articles, Links

 

 

Cerebral blood flow effects of pain and acupuncture: a preliminary single-photon

emission computed tomography imaging study.

 

Newberg AB, Lariccia PJ, Lee BY, Farrar JT, Lee L, Alavi A.

 

Division of Nuclear Medicine, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, 110

Donner Building, 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104.

newberg.

 

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to investigate the cerebral blood flow

changes associated with the analgesic effect of acupuncture in patients with

chronic pain. METHODS: Seven patients presenting with a chronic pain syndrome

and 5 healthy controls were included. All single-photon emission com puted

tomography (SPECT) scans were acquired with a uniform protocol. The patient

group was injected with the radioisotope hexamethyl propyleneamine oxime (HMPAO)

while experienc ing their usual level of pain. A baseline scan was acquired

approximately 20 minutes after administration of the HMPAO. The patient then

underwent acupuncture therapy with needles placed in points specifically

selected to relieve pain. When the pain improved, as determined by a 10-digit

score for pain assessment, the patient was reinjected with HMPAO and imaged 20

minutes later for the acupuncture scan. The refer ence group also had a baseline

and acupuncture scan, although the acupuncture itself was performed using a stan

dardized set of needle points. RESULTS: The reference group par ticipants were

found to have significant increases in the thalamic and prefrontal cortex

activity on the acupuncture scan compared to the baseline. The baseline scans of

the pain patients showed significant asymmetric uptake in the thalami compared

to controls. This asymmetry reversed or normalized after the acupuncture

therapy. Significant correlations were observed between the change of activity

in the prefrontal cortex and ipsilateral sensorimotor area. CONCLUSION: The

results from these cases show that HMPAO-SPECT is capable of detecting changes

in cerebral blood flow associated with pain and that acupuncture analgesia is

associated with changes in the activity of the frontal lobes, brain stem, and

thalami.

 

PMID: 15574573 [PubMed - in process]