title: Abdominal acupuncture reduces laser-evoked potentials in healthy subjects.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Acupuncture is known to reduce clinical pain, although the exact mechanism is unknown. The aim of the current study was to investigate the effect of acupuncture on laser-evoked potential amplitudes and laser pain perception.
  
  
  METHODS
  In order to evaluate whether abdominal acupuncture is able to modify pain perception, 10 healthy subjects underwent a protocol in which laser-evoked potentials (LEPs) and laser pain perception were collected before the test (baseline), during abdominal acupuncture, and 15 min after needle removal. The same subjects also underwent a similar protocol in which, however, sham acupuncture without any needle penetration was used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During real acupuncture, both N1 and N2/P2 amplitudes were reduced, as compared to baseline (p<0.01). The reduction lasted up to 15 min after needle removal. Furthermore, laser pain perception was reduced during real acupuncture, although the difference was marginally significant (p=0.06).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results show that abdominal acupuncture reduces LEP amplitude in healthy subjects.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results provide a theoretical background for the use of abdominal acupuncture as a therapeutic approach in the treatment of pain conditions. Future studies will have to be conducted in clinical painful syndromes, in order to confirm the analgesic effect of acupuncture in patients suffering from pain.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Don Carlo Gnocchi Onlus Foundation, Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pazzaglia
authors.affiliation: Paracelso Institute, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liguori
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Minciotti
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Testani
authors.affiliation: Multifactorial Diseases and Complex Phenotypes Research Area, Pediatric Hospital Bambino Gesú, IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Tozzi
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomic Histologic, Forensic-medicine and Locomotor-system Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Liguori
authors.affiliation: Paracelso Institute, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Petti
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Don Carlo Gnocchi Onlus Foundation, Milano, Italy; Department of Neuroscience, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Padua
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Pediatric Hospital Bambino Gesù, IRCCS, Rome, Italy; Center for Sensory-Motor Interaction, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark. Electronic address: m.valeriani@tiscali.it.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Valeriani
mesh_terms: D000005:Abdomen / Q000502:physiology*; D015670:Acupuncture Therapy / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D000328:Adult; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D005260:Female; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006801:Humans; D066331:Laser-Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016037:Single-Blind Method
keywords: Acupuncture; Laser-evoked potentials; Pain perception