Department of Biomedical Engineering, Institute of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China.
Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2012;2012:951928. doi: 10.1155/2012/951928. Epub 2012 May 24.
Background. Acupoints (belonging to 12 meridians) which have the same names are symmetrically distributed on the body. It has been proved that acupoints have certain biological specificities different from the normal parts of the body. However, there is little evidence that acupoints which have the same name and are located bilaterally and symmetrically have lateralized specificity. Thus, researching the lateralized specificity and the relationship between left-side and right-side acupuncture is of special importance. Methodology and Principal Findings. The mean blood flux (MBF) in both Hegu acupoints was measured by Moor full-field laser perfusion imager. With the method of system identification algorithm, the output distribution in different groups was acquired, based on different acupoint stimulation and standard signal input. It is demonstrated that after stimulation of the right Hegu acupoint by needle, the output value of MBF in contralateral Hegu acupoint was strongly amplified, while after acupuncturing the left Hegu acupoint, the output value of MBF in either side Hegu acupoint was amplified moderately. Conclusions and Significance. This paper indicates that the Hegu acupoint has lateralized specificity. After stimulating the ipsilateral Hegu acupoint, symmetry breaking will be produced in contrast to contralateral Hegu acupoint stimulation.
背景。穴位（属于 12 条经络）同名的穴位呈左右对称分布。已经证明穴位具有与身体正常部位不同的某些生物学特异性。然而，几乎没有证据表明同名穴位具有左右对称的侧化特异性。因此，研究穴位的侧化特异性以及左右两侧针灸之间的关系具有特殊意义。方法和主要发现。使用 Moor 全视野激光灌注成像仪测量双侧合谷穴的平均血流（MBF）。通过系统识别算法，在不同的穴位刺激和标准信号输入的基础上，获得不同组的输出分布。结果表明，针刺右侧合谷穴后，对侧合谷穴的 MBF 输出值被强烈放大，而针刺左侧合谷穴后，双侧合谷穴的 MBF 输出值适度放大。结论和意义。本文表明合谷穴具有侧化特异性。刺激同侧合谷穴后，与对侧合谷穴刺激相比，会产生对称性破坏。
