UNASSIGNED: The experiment followed the principle of randomized, single-blind design. Twenty-four anxiety volunteers (14 males and 10 females, 20-35 years old) were divided randomly into two groups: a group of acupuncture at Neiguan and a group of acupuncture at non-acupoint. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was applied to measure brain activity pre- and post-acupuncture. The amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) and seed-based functional connectivity (FC) was used to analyze the activity and network of brain regions. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS 21.0 and REST 1.8 software.
UNASSIGNED: ALFF results revealed that post-acupuncture at Neiguan increased the activity of the left parahippocampal gyrus, fusiform gyrus, and right superior temporal gyrus and decreased the activity of the right middle frontal gyrus, right precuneus, and cuneus. Post-acupuncture at non-acupoint led to a significant ALFF increase in the thalamus and middle frontal gyrus. The ALFF in the left middle frontal gyrus was decreased. Functional connectivity in several anterior default mode network (DMN) regions and vermis cerebelli at left parahippocampal/fusiform gyri was increased, and connectivity in bilateral superior temporal gyri was decreased. FC with posterior DMN regions decreased at the right middle frontal gyrus, right precuneus, and cuneus.
UNASSIGNED: Our study elucidates that acupuncture at Neiguan modulates anxiety by activating or deactivating these brain anxiety-related regions and provides potential explanations for the application of PC6 acupuncture in mental diseases.
■实验遵循随机原则,单盲设计。24名焦虑志愿者(14名男性和10名女性,20-35岁)随机分为两组:内关针刺组和非穴位针刺组。功能磁共振成像(fMRI)用于测量针刺前后的大脑活动。使用低频波动(ALFF)和基于种子的功能连通性(FC)的幅度来分析大脑区域的活动和网络。使用SPSS21.0和REST1.8软件进行统计分析。
■ALFF结果显示,内关针刺后增加了左侧海马旁回的活动,梭状回,和右颞上回,减少了右额叶中回的活动,右前叶,还有Cuneus.非穴位针刺后导致丘脑和额中回ALFF明显增加。左额中回ALFF降低。左海马旁/梭形回的几个前默认模式网络(DMN)区域和小脑vermis的功能连通性增加,双侧颞上回的连通性降低。右中额回有后DMN区的FC减少,右前叶,还有Cuneus.
■我们的研究阐明了针刺内关通过激活或去激活这些与大脑焦虑相关的区域来调节焦虑,并为PC6针刺在精神疾病中的应用提供了潜在的解释。