title: Cerebral Targeting of Acupuncture at Combined Acupoints in Treating Essential Hypertension: An Rs-fMRI Study and Curative Effect Evidence.
abstract: The study attempted to explore that the synergistic effect of acupoints combination is not a simple superposition of single acupoint's effect by comparing and analyzing the changes of blood pressure (BP), SF-36, and brain regions after acupuncture treatment. 47 patients were randomly divided into LR3+KI3 group, LR3 group, and KI3 group. Subjects received Rs-fMRI scan, BP measurement, and SF-36 questionnaires before and after treatment and short-term acupuncture treatment. After treatment, there were no significant differences in BP and SF-36 among 3 groups, compared to the case before treatment, SBP of 3 groups decreased, and DBP significantly decreased while vitality and mental health significantly increased in LR3+KI3 group. Both number and scopes of changes of brain regions in LR3+KI3 group were the largest, which mainly included BAs 3, 4, 8, 19, 21, 24, 32, 44, and 45. In conclusion, acupuncture at LR3+KI3 may auxiliarily reduce BP and improve the vitality and mental health of patients, and the changes of brain regions were related to somatesthesia, movement, vision, audition, emotion and mood, language, memory, etc. BAs 4, 9, 10, 24, 31, 32, and 46 may be the targeting brain areas of acupuncture in assisting hypotension. It is suggested that acupoints combination of LR3+KI3 maybe generates a synergistic effect, and it is not simple sum of single acupoint effect.
authors.affiliation: School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province 510515, China; Weinan Vocational and Technical College, Weinan, Shaanxi 714026, China.
authors.forename: Yanjie
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province 510515, China.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province 510515, China.
authors.forename: Shanshan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Qu
authors.affiliation: School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province 510515, China.
authors.forename: Jiping
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province 510515, China.
authors.forename: Zheng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhong
authors.affiliation: School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province 510515, China.
authors.forename: Jialing
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-0900-4617
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province 510515, China.
authors.forename: Huanlin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province 510515, China.
authors.forename: Miaokeng
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province 510515, China.
authors.forename: Yiwen
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: The Third Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province 510630, China.
authors.forename: Junqi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Weinan Orthopaedics Hospital, Weinan, Shaanxi 714000, China.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: The National Institute of Complementary Medicine, School of Science and Health, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW 2751, Australia.
authors.forename: Genevieve Zara
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-8708-6104
authors.initials: GZ
authors.lastname: Steiner
authors.affiliation: Clinical School of Acupuncture and Rehabilitation, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province 510405, China.
authors.forename: Chunzhi
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-3127-578X
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province 510515, China.
authors.forename: Yong
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-2652-8586
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Huang