More thanDeQi: Spatial Patterns of Acupuncture-Induced Bodily Sensations.
Acupuncture uses needles to stimulate certain parts of the body, inducing a specific sensation, termedDeQi, which regard as essential for acupuncture's therapeutic effect. Here, we used the newly developed tool, bodily sensation mapping, to investigate the spatial configuration of acupuncture-induced sensations throughout the body. Twenty-five participants randomly received acupuncture stimulation or tactile stimulation using a von Frey filament at four different acupoints (HT7, PC6, ST36, and SP10) on the left side of the body. Subjects evaluated the characteristics ofDeQisensations and marked the areas of induced sensations on a body outline. We compared the psychophysical responses ofDeQisensations and visualized the spatial patterns of these sensations using statistical parametric mapping. We found greater intensity ofDeQisensations following acupuncture stimulation compared with tactile stimulation, with relatively small differences among the four acupoints. The sensation maps exhibited similar spatial patterns for acupuncture and tactile stimulation in the areas close to the stimulated sites. However, acupuncture was associated with additional sensations in areas remote from the stimulated sites. This study demonstrates that acupuncture stimulation produces greaterDeQisensations than tactile stimulation and results in the spreading of sensations to areas remote from the stimulus sites. Investigating the spatial patterns of acupuncture-induced sensations may be crucial for understanding the underlying mechanisms of acupuncture.
Acupuncture and Meridian Science Research Center, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University Seoul, South Korea.
Won-Mo
WM
Jung
Acupuncture and Meridian Science Research Center, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University Seoul, South Korea.
Woosun
W
Shim
Acupuncture and Meridian Science Research Center, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University Seoul, South Korea.
Taehyung
T
Lee
Acupuncture and Meridian Science Research Center, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University Seoul, South Korea.
Hi-Joon
HJ
Park
Acupuncture, Moxibustion and Meridian Research Center, Division of Standard Research, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine Daejeon, South Korea.
Yeonhee
Y
Ryu
Somatosensory and Autonomic Therapy Research, Institute for Neuroradiology, Hannover Medical School Hannover, Germany.
Florian
F
Beissner
Acupuncture and Meridian Science Research Center, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University Seoul, South Korea.
Younbyoung
Y
Chae
DeQi; acupuncture; bodily sensation; meridian; spatial information