Cortical activations upon stimulation of the sensorimotor-implicated acupoints.
Sixty-seven healthy right-handed subjects were studied using a 1.5-T MRI. Activations, which were absent during stimulation of the adjacent nonacupoints over the right arm or leg, were consistently seen over the right premotor area during stimulation of the sensorimotor-implicated acupoints over the left arm or leg. The left premotor area was also activated during stimulation of the arm or leg acupoints. The right precentral and postcentral gyri showed activations during stimulation of the arm acupoints. The volume and location of activations vary when different combinations of the arm acupoints were stimulated. Our results indicate the existence of sensorimotor-implicated acupoints as sensitive sites to obtain somatotopic activations over the sensory cortices with co-activation of the motor cortices.
Li
Geng
G
The Jockey Club MRI Engineering Centre, Faculty of Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Huang
Li
L
Cheung
Raymond T F
RT
Liu
Shi-Run
SR
Ma
Qi-Yun
QY
Yang
Edward S
ES
D015669:Acupuncture Points; D000328:Adult; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D005121:Extremities / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009044:Motor Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D013003:Somatosensory Cortex / Q000502:physiology*