title: Effects of electro-acupuncture at Tongli (HT 5) and Xuanzhong (GB 39) acupoints from functional magnetic resonance imaging evidence.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the specifificity of Tongli (HT 5) and Xuanzhong (GB 39) paired acupionts in aspects of Deqi sensation and brain activation patterns during electroacupuncture.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, 15 healthy subjects were enrolled. All participants suffered two kinds of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) examinations randomly: Examination A received electro-acupuncture (EA) at the bilateral Tongli (HT5) and Xuanzhong (GB 39) acupoints (ACU), and examination B received EA at bilateral non-acupoints (NAP). The subjects reported the feeling of Deqi at each examination later respectively. A multi-voxel pattern analysis method and Statistical Program for Social Sciences were used to analyze the data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The ACU group (Exam A) reported fullness, heaviness, numbness, soreness and throbbing of signifificantly greater intensity than the NAP group (Exam B). In addition, there was no statistical signifificance between two groups in aching, tingling, deep pressure, sharp pain, dull pain, warmness and cold. Meanwhile, fMRI data revealed differences between two groups in discriminating accuracy of brain somatosensory cortex and language-related cortices.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Needling HT 5 and GB 39 may modulate language function through a complex brain network, suggesting that it may be benefificial to the recovery of language function in patients with aphasia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 100700, China.
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 100700, China.
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 100700, China. ear6979@163.com.|Key Laboratory of Encephalopathy Treatment of Chinese Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 100700, China. ear6979@163.com.
authors.forename: Jing-Ling
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 100700, China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 100700, China.
authors.forename: Zhong-Jian
authors.initials: ZJ
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 100700, China.
authors.forename: Hai-Zhen
authors.initials: HZ
authors.lastname: Zhong
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 100700, China.
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 100700, China.|Key Laboratory of Encephalopathy Treatment of Chinese Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 100700, China.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gao
mesh_terms: D015669:Acupuncture Points; D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D015671:Electroacupuncture / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D046709:Pattern Recognition, Physiological
keywords: Tongli (HT 5); Xuanzhong (GB 39); brain network; electroacupuncture; functional magnetic resonance imaging