Cerebral hemodynamic responses induced by specific acupuncture sensations during needling at trigger points: a near-infrared spectroscopic study. | LitMetric
System Emotional Science, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, Sugitani 2630, Toyama, 930-0194, Japan.
Published: September 2010
AI Article Synopsis
Article Abstract
Acupuncture stimulation at specific points, or trigger points (TPs), elicits sensations called "de-qi". De-qi sensations relate to the clinical efficacy of the treatment. However, it is neither clear whether de-qi sensations are associated with TPs, nor clear whether acupuncture effects on brain activity are associated with TPs or de-qi. We recorded cerebral hemodynamic responses during acupuncture stimulation at TPs and non-TPs by functional near-infrared spectroscopy. The acupuncture needle was inserted into both TPs and non-TPs within the right extensor muscle in the forearm. Typical acupuncture needle manipulation was conducted eight times for 15 s. The subjects pressed a button if they felt a de-qi sensation. We investigated how hemodynamic responses related to de-qi sensations induced at TPs and non-TPs. We observed that acupuncture stimulations producing de-qi sensations significantly decreased the Oxy-Hb concentration in the supplementary motor area (SMA), pre-supplementary motor area, and anterior dorsomedial prefrontal cortex regardless of the point stimulated. The hemodynamic responses were statistically analyzed using a general linear model and a boxcar function approximating the hemodynamic response. We observed that hemodynamic responses best fit the boxcar function when an onset delay was introduced into the analyses, and that the latency of de-qi sensations correlated with the onset delay of the best-fit function applied to the SMA. Our findings suggest that de-qi sensations favorably predict acupuncture effects on cerebral hemodynamics regardless of the type of site stimulated. Also, the effect of acupuncture stimulation in producing de-qi sensation was partly mediated by the central nervous system including the SMA.
Background: Glaucoma is a chronic progressive optic neuropathy that necessitates lifelong treatment to reduce the decline of the optic nerve. Due to the extended and continuous treatments required for patients, complementary therapies are often considered alongside conventional treatments to enhance the effectiveness of the treatment. Acupuncture has demonstrated the potential to lower intraocular pressure in previous clinical trials, making it a promising glaucoma intervention.
Background: Most non-penetrating sham and placebo acupuncture needles comprise a traditional pedestal for fixing the guide tube that makes these needles difficult to operate independently. We developed a simple sham acupuncture needle to overcome this problem and focused on managing the needling sensation.
Objectives: To ascertain how differently participants feel sham and real needles and to evaluate whether sham needles are effective in clinical trials.
The study examines how psychological factors affect patients' sensory experiences during acupuncture treatment for primary dysmenorrhea (PD).
A total of 68 PD patients were divided into two groups—one receiving deep needling and the other shallow needling—to assess the impact of needling technique on sensations experienced.
Results showed that while anxiety levels didn’t significantly influence sensations, patients' expectations about the treatment did, suggesting that psychological factors play a crucial role in the acupuncture experience.
Background: Electroacupuncture (EA) has been known to exert analgesic effects according to several reports, but studies investigating the analgesic effect of EA using the quantitative sensory test (QST) are rare.
Primary Study Objective: To investigate the analgesic effects of electroacupuncture through changes in thermal thresholds measured using the QST.
(1) Background: The medical practice of acupuncture involves the insertion of a specialized stainless needle into a specific body point, often called an acupoint, to initiate a perceived phenomenon of de-qi sensation. Therefore, the term "de-qi" describes bodily sensations experienced by the recipient during acupuncture, which may include feelings of soreness, heaviness, fullness, numbness, and migration. However, while acupuncture treatments reportedly result in acupoint activation and an increased release of neurotransmitters or cytokines, detecting these substances released into the acupoint microenvironment is often missed or delayed in clinical and basic practice.
