Neural Regeneration Research ›› 2013, Vol. 8 ›› Issue (28): 2649-2655.doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1673-5374.2013.28.007

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A central analgesic mechanism of acupuncture for migraine An ongoing functional MRI study

Lei Lan1, Yujie Gao2, Fang Zeng1, Wei Qin3, Mingkai Dong1, Mailan Liu1, Taipin Guo1, Fanrong Liang1   

  1. 1 School of Acupuncture and Tuina, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 610075, Sichuan Province, China
    2 School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China
    3 Life Science Research Center, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Xidian University, Xi’an 710071, Shaanxi Province, China
  • Received:2012-12-03 Revised:2013-03-09 Online:2013-10-05 Published:2013-10-05
  • Contact: Fanrong Liang, Master, Professor, School of Acupuncture and Tuina, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 610075, Sichuan Province, China, acuresearch@126.com.
  • About author:Lei Lan, M.D.
  • Supported by:

    This experiment was supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program), No. 2012CB518501, and the Key Project of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 30930112/ C190301.

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Abstract:

Shaoyang acupoints are the most frequently used in migraine treatment. However, the central anal-gesic mechanism remains poorly understood. Studies have demonstrated that single stimulus of the verum acupuncture in healthy subjects can induce significant connectivity or activity changes in pain- related central networks compared with sham acupuncture. However, these findings are not indicative of the central analgesic mechanism of acupuncture at Shaoyang acupoints. Thus, we recruited 100 migraine sufferers and randomly assigned them into five groups: Shaoyang uncommon acupoint, Shaoyang common acupoint, Yangming uncommon acupoint, non-acupoint control, and blank control groups. Subjects were subjected to evaluation of curative effects and functional MRI prior to and after 10 and 20 acupuncture treatments. All subjects were diagnosed by physicians and enrolled following clinical physical examination. Subjects were observed during 1–4 weeks after inclusion. At the fifth week, the first clinical evaluation and resting functional MRI were conducted. The Shaoyang uncom-mon acupoint, Shaoyang common acupoint, Yangming uncommon acupoint, and non-acupoint control grousp then were treated with acupuncture, five times per week, 20 times in total over 4 weeks. The second and third clinical evaluations and resting functional MRI screenings were conducted following 10 and 20 acupuncture treatments. The blank control group was observed during the 5 to 8 week pe-riod, followed by clinical evaluation and resting functional MRI. The aim of this study was to examine changes in brain functional activity and central networks in subjects with migraine undergoing acu-puncture at Shaoyang uncommon acupoints. This study provides a further explanation of the central analgesic mechanism by which acupuncture at Shaoyang acupoints treats migraine.

Key words: neural regeneration, acupuncture and moxibustion, migraine, acupuncture, analgesia, central re-sponse, functional MRI, sessions of acupuncture, continuous central activity, study design, grants- supported paper, neuroregeneration