Our previous ifndings have demonstrated that acupuncture at the Taixi （KI3） acupoint in healthy youths can activate neurons in cognitive-related cerebral cortex. Here, we investigated whether acupuncture at this acu...Our previous ifndings have demonstrated that acupuncture at the Taixi （KI3） acupoint in healthy youths can activate neurons in cognitive-related cerebral cortex. Here, we investigated whether acupuncture at this acupoint in elderly patients with mild cognitive impairment can also activate neurons in these regions. Resting state and task-related functional magnetic resonance imaging showed that the pinprick senstation of acupuncture at the Taixi acupoint differed signiifcantly between elderly patients with mild cognitive impairment and healthy elderly controls. Results showed that 20 brain regions were activated in both groups of participants, including the bi-lateral anterior cingulate gyrus （Brodmann areas [BA] 32, 24）, left medial frontal cortex （BA 9, 10, 11）, left cuneus （BA 19）, left middle frontal gyrus （BA 11）, left lingual gyrus （BA 18）, right medial frontal gyrus （BA 11）, bilateral inferior frontal gyrus （BA 47）, left superior frontal gyrus （BA11）, right cuneus （BA 19, 18）, right superior temporal gyrus （BA 38）, left subcallosal gyrus （BA 47）, bilateral precuneus （BA 19）, right medial frontal gyrus （BA 10）, right superior frontal （BA 11）, left cingulate gyrus （BA 32）, left precentral gyrus （BA 6）, and right fusiform gyrus （BA 19）. These results suggest that acupuncture at the Taixi acupoint in elderly patients with mild cogni-tive impairment can also activate some brain regions.展开更多
OBJECTIVE:To assess skin temperature response to menstruation at acupuncture points in primary dysmenorrhea(PD) patients and healthy volunteers so as to explore acupuncture point specificity in reflecting diseases in ...OBJECTIVE:To assess skin temperature response to menstruation at acupuncture points in primary dysmenorrhea(PD) patients and healthy volunteers so as to explore acupuncture point specificity in reflecting diseases in the light of skin temperature.METHODS:Fifty-two PD patients and 49 healthy volunteers were recruited.Skin temperature measurements were performed with a skin temperature assessment device at 10 points.Absolute difference between skin temperature of the same point on the left and right side is used as main outcome measure.RESULTS:On the first day of menstruation, when menstrual pain attacking in PD patients, a significant increase in skin temperature difference was detected at Taixi(KI 3) compared with the healthy group(P < 0.01).A significant reduction in skin temperature difference was detected at Taixi(KI 3) in the first day of menstruation compared with those values in the third day after menstruation(P < 0.01)in the healthy group.On the third day after menstruation, a significant reduction in skin temperature difference was found at Zhongdu(LR 6) in PD group compared with the healthy group(P < 0.05).No significant differences of skin temperature were detected at other points(P > 0.05).CONCLUSION:The skin temperature difference at menstruation-relevant points in PD patients did not all change significantly more than those in women without PD.Significant difference was only found in Taixi(KI 3), the Yuan-source point of Kidney meridian.展开更多
Acupuncture can induce changes in the brain. However, the majority of studies to date have focused on a single acupoint at a time. In the present study, we observed activity changes in the brains of healthy volunteers...Acupuncture can induce changes in the brain. However, the majority of studies to date have focused on a single acupoint at a time. In the present study, we observed activity changes in the brains of healthy volunteers before and after acupuncture atTaichong （LR3） andTaixi （KI3） using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. Fifteen healthy volunteers underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging of the brain 15 minutes before acupuncture, then received acupuncture atTaichong andTaixi using the nail-pressing needle insertion method, after which the needle was retained in place for 30 minutes. Fifteen minutes after withdrawal of the needle, the volunteers underwent a further session of resting-state functional magnetic res-onance imaging, which revealed that the amplitude of low-frequency lfuctuation, a measure of spontaneous neuronal activity, increased mainly in the cerebral occipital lobe and middle occipital gyrus （Brodmann area 18/19）, inferior occipital gyrus （Brodmann area 18） and cuneus （Brodmann area 18）, but decreased mainly in the gyrus rectus of the frontal lobe （Brodmann area 11）, inferi-or frontal gyrus （Brodmann area 44） and the center of the posterior lobe of the cerebellum. The present ifndings indicate that acupuncture atTaichong andTaixi speciifcally promote blood lfow and activation in the brain areas related to vision, emotion and cognition, and inhibit brain areas related to emotion, attention, phonological and semantic processing, and memory.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.81173354the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province,No.10451810101005862+1 种基金a grant from Guangdong Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine,No.20111032,20132019the Science and Technology Plan Project of Baoan District,Shenzhen City,No.200902159
文摘Our previous ifndings have demonstrated that acupuncture at the Taixi （KI3） acupoint in healthy youths can activate neurons in cognitive-related cerebral cortex. Here, we investigated whether acupuncture at this acupoint in elderly patients with mild cognitive impairment can also activate neurons in these regions. Resting state and task-related functional magnetic resonance imaging showed that the pinprick senstation of acupuncture at the Taixi acupoint differed signiifcantly between elderly patients with mild cognitive impairment and healthy elderly controls. Results showed that 20 brain regions were activated in both groups of participants, including the bi-lateral anterior cingulate gyrus （Brodmann areas [BA] 32, 24）, left medial frontal cortex （BA 9, 10, 11）, left cuneus （BA 19）, left middle frontal gyrus （BA 11）, left lingual gyrus （BA 18）, right medial frontal gyrus （BA 11）, bilateral inferior frontal gyrus （BA 47）, left superior frontal gyrus （BA11）, right cuneus （BA 19, 18）, right superior temporal gyrus （BA 38）, left subcallosal gyrus （BA 47）, bilateral precuneus （BA 19）, right medial frontal gyrus （BA 10）, right superior frontal （BA 11）, left cingulate gyrus （BA 32）, left precentral gyrus （BA 6）, and right fusiform gyrus （BA 19）. These results suggest that acupuncture at the Taixi acupoint in elderly patients with mild cogni-tive impairment can also activate some brain regions.
基金Supported by the National Basic Research Program of China(973 Program)-the Effect of De Qi on Acupoint Specific Effect Based on Meridians and its Characteristics and Molecular Response Mechanisms(No.2012CB518506)Research on Acupoint Specificity in Regulating Uterus(No.2006CB504503)National Natural Science Foundation of China-Research on Variations of Biophysical Properties of Acupoints on Different Meridians with the Same Spinal Segments Based on Primary Dysmenorrhea(No.81573884)
文摘OBJECTIVE:To assess skin temperature response to menstruation at acupuncture points in primary dysmenorrhea(PD) patients and healthy volunteers so as to explore acupuncture point specificity in reflecting diseases in the light of skin temperature.METHODS:Fifty-two PD patients and 49 healthy volunteers were recruited.Skin temperature measurements were performed with a skin temperature assessment device at 10 points.Absolute difference between skin temperature of the same point on the left and right side is used as main outcome measure.RESULTS:On the first day of menstruation, when menstrual pain attacking in PD patients, a significant increase in skin temperature difference was detected at Taixi(KI 3) compared with the healthy group(P < 0.01).A significant reduction in skin temperature difference was detected at Taixi(KI 3) in the first day of menstruation compared with those values in the third day after menstruation(P < 0.01)in the healthy group.On the third day after menstruation, a significant reduction in skin temperature difference was found at Zhongdu(LR 6) in PD group compared with the healthy group(P < 0.05).No significant differences of skin temperature were detected at other points(P > 0.05).CONCLUSION:The skin temperature difference at menstruation-relevant points in PD patients did not all change significantly more than those in women without PD.Significant difference was only found in Taixi(KI 3), the Yuan-source point of Kidney meridian.
基金supported by a grant from the National Key Basic Research and Development Project(973 Program),No.2012CB518504a grant from the National Level Undergraduate Student Innovation Venture Training Project of Local Colleges,No.201212121048a grant from the ThreeStage Key Subject Construction Project of Guangdong Province of China(211 Project),No.(2009)431
文摘Acupuncture can induce changes in the brain. However, the majority of studies to date have focused on a single acupoint at a time. In the present study, we observed activity changes in the brains of healthy volunteers before and after acupuncture atTaichong （LR3） andTaixi （KI3） using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. Fifteen healthy volunteers underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging of the brain 15 minutes before acupuncture, then received acupuncture atTaichong andTaixi using the nail-pressing needle insertion method, after which the needle was retained in place for 30 minutes. Fifteen minutes after withdrawal of the needle, the volunteers underwent a further session of resting-state functional magnetic res-onance imaging, which revealed that the amplitude of low-frequency lfuctuation, a measure of spontaneous neuronal activity, increased mainly in the cerebral occipital lobe and middle occipital gyrus （Brodmann area 18/19）, inferior occipital gyrus （Brodmann area 18） and cuneus （Brodmann area 18）, but decreased mainly in the gyrus rectus of the frontal lobe （Brodmann area 11）, inferi-or frontal gyrus （Brodmann area 44） and the center of the posterior lobe of the cerebellum. The present ifndings indicate that acupuncture atTaichong andTaixi speciifcally promote blood lfow and activation in the brain areas related to vision, emotion and cognition, and inhibit brain areas related to emotion, attention, phonological and semantic processing, and memory.
