Exploring feasibility of fNIRS to assess delayed inhibition effect of prefrontal cortex for acute stress by acupuncture on GV20: a pilot study.

Introduction: Acupuncture on the acupuncture point GV20 has been considered effective for managing psychoneurological disorders since ancient times, and GV20 is now regularly used to treat stress-related diseases (SRDs), including psychoneurological disorders. Although reports indicating that acupuncture stimulation of GV20 alone regulates cerebral blood flow (CBF) in brain regions associated with SRDs have been scattered, from the perspective of the need for earlier action, the effects on subjective stress as self-reported in the stress state of healthy individuals and CBF changes in related prefrontal cortex (PFC) subregions, which is based as underlying mechanism, remain unclear. Therefore, there is a need to explore effective methods for analyzing such effects.

Acupuncture Relaxation, Vigilance Stage, and Autonomic Nervous System Function: A Comparative Study of Their Interrelationships.

During acupuncture stimulation, autonomic nervous system (ANS) function changes toward being parasympathetic-dominant, with a transient decrease in heart rate (HR). The aim of this research was to determine the relationships between cortical relaxation and vigilance as observed on background electroencephalograms (EEGs), HR, and ANS function during deep acupuncture. This comparative study was conducted at Teikyo Heisei University, in Toshima-ku, Tokyo, Japan, with 27 healthy male volunteers.

Effects of Acupuncture Sensations on Transient Heart Rate Reduction and Autonomic Nervous System Function During Acupuncture Stimulation.

During acupuncture stimulation, heart rate (HR) transiently decreases and autonomic nervous system (ANS) function becomes parasympathetic-dominant. To clarify the effect of acupuncture sensations (pain, De Qi), the effects of deep acupuncture sensations on HR and ANS functions were determined. In this comparative study at Teikyo Heisei University, Tokyo, Japan, 40 healthy, male student volunteers rested for 20 minutes before undergoing manual acupuncture to the (LI 10) acupoint on the left forearm for 2 minutes at a frequency of 1 Hz, with concurrent electrocardiography.

Evaluation of Autonomic Nervous System Function Using Heart Rate Variability Analysis During Transient Heart Rate Reduction Caused by Acupuncture.

Human studies have demonstrated that heart rate (HR) decreases during acupuncture stimulation, and pharmacologic studies have shown that this autonomic nervous system (ANS) response is parasympathetic-dominant. It has become clear that significant changes occur in the ANS after acupuncture, based on HR variability (HRV). However, it is inconclusive, according to HRV analysis, if acupuncture induces a significant change in autonomic function during stimulation.

Effects of electroacupuncture to the trigeminal nerve area on the autonomic nervous system and cerebral blood flow in the prefrontal cortex.

Background: The autonomic nervous system and trigeminal nerve are involved in adjusting flow through diverging cerebral arteries in the prefrontal cortex. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of 100 Hz electroacupuncture (EA) to the trigeminal nerve area on cerebral blood flow and autonomic nervous system function.

Method: This was a randomised crossover study of 16 healthy volunteers who were assigned to an EA or control group.

Effect of 100 Hz electroacupuncture on salivary immunoglobulin A and the autonomic nervous system.

Background: A previous study has reported that low-frequency (LF) electroacupuncture (EA) influences salivary secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) and the autonomic nervous system (ANS). The ANS is known to control the secretion volume of sIgA; however, the effect of high-frequency (HF) EA on salivary sIgA has not been determined. We investigated whether HF EA affects salivary sIgA levels and the ANS.

[Acupuncture treatment for a patient with prolonged consciousness disturbance after a brain tumor surgery].

Acupuncture has long been applied as a therapeutic technique in China, Japan, Korea and other countries. Recently, its application began to be extended to the treatment of neural disorders. We experienced a 13-year-old boy with prolonged consciousness disturbance after a pineal tumor surgery and muscle contracture of lower extremity by long-term recumbency.

Prefrontal cerebral activity during a simple "rock, paper, scissors" task measured by the noninvasive near-infrared spectroscopy method.

We conducted a noninvasive near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) study using the game of rock, paper, scissors (RPS) as a simple neurocognitive task for the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in 15 healthy volunteers. We employed an opposite "to lose" RPS task coupled with a normal "to win" RPS task, since the former requires inhibition of behavior, one of the most important functions of the prefrontal cortex. During the NIRS examination, subjects had to present one of the three RPS hands in response to hands displayed randomly on a computer screen every 1.

[Acupuncture treatment for a patient with diffuse axonal injury--report no. 2].

Acupuncture has been applied as a therapeutic technique in China, Japan and East Asia. Recently, its application is extended to treat neural injuries. We describe a 26-year-old man with consciousness disturbance and intense muscle spasticity of extremities due to severe diffuse axonal injury (DAI) in whom acupuncture treatment for 1 month was effective to alleviate these symptoms remarkably.

[Acupuncture treatment for a patient with diffuse axonal injury].

Acupuncture has been used as a therapeutic technique in China, Japan and East Asia. Recently, it is used to treat neural injuries. We describe a 6-year-old boy with consciousness disturbance and heavy muscle spasticity of extremities due to severe diffuse axonal injury (DAI) in whom acupuncture treatment for 6 months alleviated these symptoms remarkably.