FMRI Study On Activation Of Cerebral Region By Acupuncture At Kunlun Point In Healthy Volunteer

Objective:The purpose of this study is to use functional magnetic resonance imaging(fMRI)technology to collect data on the brain activation areas of healthy subjects acupuncture at the right foot sun bladder meridian Kunlun(BL60)and its corresponding non acupoints,and conduct post processing and statistical analysis to obtain the brain activation areas of acupuncture at Kunlun and its corresponding non acupoints.Exploring the brain effect mechanism related to the indications and treatment of acupuncture at Kunlun point from the perspective of neuroimaging in combination with traditional Chinese medicine theory;Comparative analysis of the brain activation regions of Kunlun acupoint and corresponding non acupoints was conducted to provide visual evidence for the study of acupoint specificity.Methods:According to the experimental requirements,17 healthy right-handed subjects(6 males and 11 females)who met the inclusion criteria and studied at Heilongjiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine were selected.Using a Philips 3.0T dual source dual gradient magnetic resonance scanner,fMRI data were collected for the task state and pre and post rest state of subjects acupuncture at the right Kunlun acupoint and its corresponding non acupoints.Based on MATLAB R2017a,run DPARSFA,xjView,and Brain Net Viewer software for image data post-processing analysis.Use SPM12 software package for statistical calculations to obtain specific information such as the location,voxel values,peak points,and peak point coordinates of the brain activation area corresponding to acupuncture Kunlun point and its corresponding non acupoints.Results:1.Activated brain regions caused by acupuncture at Kunlun points:positive activated regions include the left inferior temporal gyrus(BA20),right insula(BA13),left anterior cingulate and accessory cingulate gyrus(BA24),left middle frontal gyrus(BA8),and left dorsolateral superior frontal gyrus;The areas of negative activation were left inferior occipital gyrus(BA17),right middle occipital gyrus(BA18),left posterior central gyrus(BA2),and right anterior wedge lobe.2.Non-acupoint-activated brain regions corresponding to Kunlun needling: Positive activated regions included left dorsolateral superior frontal gyrus,left peri-orbital fissure cortex,right middle occipital gyrus(BA39),and left central sulcus cover;The negative activation areas were the right middle frontal gyrus and right inferior temporal gyrus(BA42).3.Differential brain activation regions between Kunlun acupuncture points and its non-acupoints: The positive activation regions included the right lingual gyrus(BA18),right fusiform gyrus,left parietal cortex(BA17),left middle occipital gyrus(BA19),and right precuneus(BA7);The negative activation area was left caudate nucleus.4.Compared with the pre-resting state,the ReHo values in the resting state after acupuncture at Kunlun are as follows: The increased brain regions include the left cerebellum,the left superior temporal gyrus,the right middle frontal gyrus(BA46),the left peri-talocalcaneal cortex,the left anterior wedge(BA7),and the left inferior occipital gyrus(BA17);The brain regions with reduced ReHo values were the left orbital inferior frontal gyrus,left caudate nucleus,right thalamus,right superior marginal gyrus,left parahippocampal gyrus,right anterior cingulate gyrus and paracingulate gyrus(BA32).Conclusion:1.Acupuncture at Kunlun Point can produce specific activation in multiple brain regions,which is related to its clinical indications,indicating that the therapeutic effect of Kunlun Point is related to the activation of corresponding brain regions.2.Compared with the corresponding non acupoints,acupuncture at Kunlun point has significant differences in the brain activation area,and acupuncture at Kunlun point has stronger regularity in the brain activation area.The difference between acupoints and non acupoints confirms the specificity of acupoints.3.The changes in ReHo values under different states of acupuncture at Kunlun point indicate that acupuncture at the point does not only produce immediate effects,but the acupuncture effect will continue for a certain time after pulling out the needle,indicating the existence of post acupuncture effects,which are related to the brain response mechanism of clinical treatment.