A fMRI observation on different cererbral regions activated by acupuncture of Taixi (KI3) and Qiuxu(GB40)

Objective To investigate the response of the specific brain functional areas of normal human to acupuncture points correlative with cognition,by observing signal variety of Taixi(KI3) and Qiuxu(GB40) point in fMRI.Methods Twelve healthy young volunteer participants were enrolled in this research fMRI scans were taken in random order in a block design.During stimulation phase,an acupuncture needle inserted in right KI3 or GB40 was twirled at an angle of 180° and a frequency of about 1.5 Hz.The collected images were analyzed by using SPM2 for exploring inter-group differences in blood oxygen level dependent(BOLD) responses.Results Increases in BOLD signal(group analysis,corrected,0.05,K≥10))were found mainly in the right superior temporal gyrus(BA22),left middle frontal gyrus(BA46),secondarily,in the postcentral gyrus of left and right parietal lobe(BA2、BA3),the left inferior frontal gyrus(BA45)by acupuncture at KI3.And chiefly in the left superior temporal gyrus(BA42、BA22),secondarily,in the postcentral gyrus of right parietal lobe(BA40,BA43),right inferior frontal gyrus(BA47),right superior temporal gyrus(BA22),left lobus insularis(BA13)by acupuncture at GB40.Conclusion Acupuncture of KI3 and GB40 elicite different BOLD responses in some related cerebral regions correlative with audition and cognition