School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales and Neuropsychiatric Institute NPI, Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Acupunct Med. 2013 Sep;31(3):282-9. doi: 10.1136/acupmed-2012-010297. Epub 2013 Aug 6.
While needle acupuncture is a well-accepted technique, laser acupuncture is being increasingly used in clinical practice. The differential effects of the two techniques are of interest. We examine this in relation to brain effects of activation of LR8, a putative acupuncture point for depression, using functional MRI (fMRI).
Sixteen healthy participants were randomised to receive low intensity laser acupuncture to LR8 on one side and needle acupuncture to the contralateral LR8. Stimulation was in an on-off block design and brain patterns were recorded under fMRI.
Significant activation occurred in the left precuneus during laser acupuncture compared with needle acupuncture and significant activation occurred in the left precentral gyrus during needle acupuncture compared with laser acupuncture.
Laser and needle acupuncture at LR8 in healthy participants produced different brain patterns. Laser acupuncture activated the precuneus relevant to mood in the posterior default mode network while needle acupuncture activated the parietal cortical region associated with the primary motor cortex. Further investigations are warranted to evaluate the clinical relevance of these effects.
虽然针刺是一种被广泛接受的技术，但激光针灸在临床实践中也越来越被应用。这两种技术的不同效果引起了人们的兴趣。我们使用功能磁共振成像（fMRI）来研究这与 LR8（一种用于治疗抑郁症的假定穴位）激活的脑效应的关系。
16 名健康参与者被随机分配到接受低强度激光针刺 LR8 一侧和针刺对侧 LR8。刺激采用开-关块设计，在 fMRI 下记录脑模式。
与针刺相比，激光针刺时左楔前叶出现明显激活，而与激光针刺相比，针刺时左中央前回出现明显激活。
健康参与者在 LR8 处接受激光和针刺针灸产生了不同的脑模式。激光针刺激活了与情绪相关的后默认模式网络中的楔前叶，而针刺则激活了与初级运动皮层相关的顶叶皮质区域。需要进一步的研究来评估这些影响的临床相关性。
