Brain imaging of acupuncture: comparing superficial with deep needling
Brain imaging of acupuncture: comparing superficial with deep needling
The difference between superficial and deep needling at acupuncture points has yet to be mapped with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Using a 3 T MRI, echo planar imaging data were acquired for 17 right-handed healthy volunteer participants. Two fMRI scans of acupuncture needling were taken in random order in a block design, one for superficial and one for deep needling on the right hand at the acupuncture point LI-4 (Hegu), with the participant blind to the order. For both scans needle stimulation was used. Brain image analysis tools were used to explore within-group and between-group differences in the blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) responses. The study demonstrated marked similarities in BOLD signal responses between superficial and deep needling, with no significant differences in either activations (increases in BOLD signal) or deactivations (decreases in BOLD signal) above the voxel Z score of 2.3 with corrected cluster significance of P = 0.05. For both types of needling, deactivations predominatid over activations. These fMRI data suggest that acupuncture needle stimulation at two different depths of needling, superficial and deep, do not elicit significantly different BOLD responses. This data is consistent with the equivalent therapeutic outcomes that are claimed by proponents of Japanese and Chinese styles of acupuncture that utilise superficial and deep needling, respectively.
acupuncture, neuroimaging, fmri
144-149
MacPherson, Hugh
6485cd22-1dc3-4600-9e00-d3187e981663
Green, Gary
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Nevado, Angel
e56dfcb9-d13c-4a13-ab46-559996fd6111
Lythgoe, Mark F.
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Lewith, George
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Devlin, Ross
e9717d14-0a08-45e2-8396-9ade269a2589
Haselfoot, Robyn
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Asghar, Aziz U.R.
c8b29441-5c82-4d63-be02-b3cb405941b5
21 March 2008
MacPherson, Hugh
6485cd22-1dc3-4600-9e00-d3187e981663
Green, Gary
bab925e2-44c6-42c6-b58f-d39e0ac6c5f8
Nevado, Angel
e56dfcb9-d13c-4a13-ab46-559996fd6111
Lythgoe, Mark F.
1178fdde-3f48-4840-a4ec-87c19bffd624
Lewith, George
0fc483fa-f17b-47c5-94d9-5c15e65a7625
Devlin, Ross
e9717d14-0a08-45e2-8396-9ade269a2589
Haselfoot, Robyn
faf84ddb-73c6-4250-9e95-0694d7e9a59e
Asghar, Aziz U.R.
c8b29441-5c82-4d63-be02-b3cb405941b5
MacPherson, Hugh, Green, Gary, Nevado, Angel, Lythgoe, Mark F., Lewith, George, Devlin, Ross, Haselfoot, Robyn and Asghar, Aziz U.R.
(2008)
Brain imaging of acupuncture: comparing superficial with deep needling.
Neuroscience Letters, 434 (1), .
(doi:10.1016/j.neulet.2008.01.058).
Abstract
The difference between superficial and deep needling at acupuncture points has yet to be mapped with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Using a 3 T MRI, echo planar imaging data were acquired for 17 right-handed healthy volunteer participants. Two fMRI scans of acupuncture needling were taken in random order in a block design, one for superficial and one for deep needling on the right hand at the acupuncture point LI-4 (Hegu), with the participant blind to the order. For both scans needle stimulation was used. Brain image analysis tools were used to explore within-group and between-group differences in the blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) responses. The study demonstrated marked similarities in BOLD signal responses between superficial and deep needling, with no significant differences in either activations (increases in BOLD signal) or deactivations (decreases in BOLD signal) above the voxel Z score of 2.3 with corrected cluster significance of P = 0.05. For both types of needling, deactivations predominatid over activations. These fMRI data suggest that acupuncture needle stimulation at two different depths of needling, superficial and deep, do not elicit significantly different BOLD responses. This data is consistent with the equivalent therapeutic outcomes that are claimed by proponents of Japanese and Chinese styles of acupuncture that utilise superficial and deep needling, respectively.
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Published date: 21 March 2008
Keywords:
acupuncture, neuroimaging, fmri
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 61976
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/61976
ISSN: 0304-3940
PURE UUID: 8666acd2-f48a-4acb-bde2-d7d18a8608a7
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Date deposited: 16 Sep 2008
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 11:28
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Contributors
Author:
Hugh MacPherson
Author:
Gary Green
Author:
Angel Nevado
Author:
Mark F. Lythgoe
Author:
George Lewith
Author:
Ross Devlin
Author:
Robyn Haselfoot
Author:
Aziz U.R. Asghar
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