Interesting MRI of acupuncture stimulation

[Guest guest]

Hi List,

 

I stumbled over this short article while surfing today.

 

It shows fMRI measurements of the cortex during acupuncture stimulation

of hegu - LI 4.

 

What I found particularity interesting was the difference in CNS

modulation in those who felt acupuncture sensation during needling

versus pain or manipulation of superficial tissues.

 

http://www.mgh.harvard.edu/depts/neuroimaging/gollublab/acupuncture.html

 

Dr. Steven J Slater

Practitioner and Acupuncturist

Mobile: 0418 343 545

chinese_medicine

[Guest guest]

Could you ,please ,tell me some more. " ...versus pain " ?, " manipulation of

superficial tissue " ?,a little more detail ,and what did you see? Thank

you,Alexander Zide.

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Hi Alexander,

 

This is taken directly from the site I mentioned which can be found

here (it has some figures of the MRI's too).

http://www.mgh.harvard.edu/depts/neuroimaging/gollublab/acupuncture.html

 

" " " " Acupuncture Project

Dr. Kathleen Hui (bio, publications)

 

      Acupuncture, an ancient therapeutic technique, is emerging as an

important modality of complementary medicine in the United States.  The

use and efficacy of acupuncture treatment are not yet widely accepted

in Western scientific and medical communities.  Demonstration of

regionally specific, quantifiable acupuncture effects on relevant

structures of the human brain would facilitate acceptance and

integration of this therapeutic modality into the practice of modern

medicine. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to

investigate the effects of acupuncture in normal subjects and to

provide a foundation for future studies on mechanisms of acupuncture

action in therapeutic interventions.  Acupuncture needle manipulation

was performed at Large Intestine 4 (LI 4, Hegu, Figure 1. below) on the

hand in 13 subjects.

 

    Needle manipulation on either hand produced prominent decreases of

fMRI signals in the nucleus accumbens, amygdala, hippocampus,

parahippocampus, hypothalamus, ventral tegmental area, anterior

cingulate gyrus (BA 24), caudate, putamen, temporal pole, and insula in

11 subjects who experienced acupuncture sensation (Figure 2b).

 

    In marked contrast, signal increases were observed primarily in the

somatosensory cortex (Figure 2a).  The two subjects who experienced

pain instead of acupuncture sensation exhibited signal increases

instead of decreases in the anterior cingulate gyrus (BA 24), caudate,

putamen, anterior thalamus and posterior insula.  Superficial tactile

stimulation to the same area elicited signal increases in the

somatosensory cortex as expected but no signal decreases in the deep

structures.

 

    These preliminary results suggest that acupuncture needle

manipulation modulates the activity of the limbic system and

subcortical structures.  We hypothesize that modulation of subcortical

structures may be an important mechanism by which acupuncture exerts

its complex multi-system effects.

" " " " " "

Best Wishes,

 

Steve

 

On 09/03/2004, at 5:11 PM, Steven Slater wrote:

 

> Hi List,

>

> I stumbled over this short article while surfing today.

>

> It shows fMRI measurements of the cortex during acupuncture stimulation

> of hegu - LI 4.

>

> What I found particularity interesting was the difference in CNS

> modulation in those who felt acupuncture sensation during needling

> versus pain or manipulation of superficial tissues.

>

> http://www.mgh.harvard.edu/depts/neuroimaging/gollublab/

> acupuncture.html

>

> Dr. Steven J Slater

> Practitioner and Acupuncturist

> Mobile: 0418 343 545

> chinese_medicine

>

>

>

>

>