The neural substrates of verum acupuncture compared to non-penetrating placebo needle: An fMRI study

doi:10.1016/j.neulet.2008.11.048

Neuroscience Letters

Volume 450, Issue 2, 30 January 2009, Pages 80-84

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neulet.2008.11.048 Get rights and content

Abstract

Acupuncture, an ancient East Asian therapeutic technique, is currently emerging as an important modality in complementary and alternative medicine around the world. Several studies have provided useful information regarding neurophysiological mechanisms of acupuncture in human brain activation. We explored brain activation using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and compared verum acupuncture to placebo needles. Two fMRI scans were taken in random order in a block design, one for verum acupuncture and one for non-penetrating placebo needles at the motor function-implicated acupoint LR2, on the left foot, in 10 healthy volunteers. We calculated the contrast that subtracted the blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) responses between the verum and sham acupuncture. Verum acupuncture stimulation elicited significant activation in both motor function-related brain areas, including the caudate, claustrum, and cerebellum, and limbic-related structures, such as the medial frontal gyrus, the cingulate gyrus, and the fusiform gyrus. These findings suggest that acupuncture not only elicited acupoint-implicated brain activation, but also modulated the affective components of the pain matrix. The current investigation of the specific pattern of the brain activation related to genuine acupuncture provides new information regarding the neurobiological basis of acupuncture.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Korea Science and Engineering Foundation (KOSEF) grant funded by the Korea government (MEST) (R11-2005-014).

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The neural substrates of verum acupuncture compared to non-penetrating placebo needle: An fMRI study

Abstract

Section snippets

Acknowledgements

Neuroimage

J. Pain

Magn. Reson. Imaging

Neurosci. Lett.

Neurosci. Lett.

Lancet

Neuroimage

Complement. Ther. Med.

fMRI review on brain responses to acupuncture: the limitations and possibilities in traditional Korean acupuncture

Neurol. Res.

Acupuncture for Fibromyalgia

Aust. J. Acupunct. Chin. Med.

Neuroimaging acupuncture effects in the human brain

J. Altern. Complement. Med.