title: Monitoring acupuncture effects on human brain by FMRI.
abstract: Functional MRI is used to study the effects of acupuncture on the BOLD response and the functional connectivity of the human brain. Results demonstrate that acupuncture mobilizes a limbic-paralimbic-neocortical network and its anti-correlated sensorimotor/paralimbic network at multiple levels of the brain and that the hemodynamic response is influenced by the psychophysical response. Physiological monitoring may be performed to explore the peripheral response of the autonomic nerve function. This video describes the studies performed at LI4 (hegu), ST36 (zusanli) and LV3 (taichong), classical acupoints that are commonly used for modulatory and pain-reducing actions. Some issues that require attention in the applications of fMRI to acupuncture investigation are noted.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, MA, USA. hui@nmr.mgh.harvard.edu
authors.forename: Kathleen K S
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Hui
authors.forename: Vitaly
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Napadow
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Ovidiu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Marina
authors.forename: Erika E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Nixon
authors.forename: Joshua D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Claunch
authors.forename: Lauren
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: LaCount
authors.forename: Tara
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sporko
authors.forename: Kenneth K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Kwong
mesh_terms: D015670:Acupuncture Therapy; D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*