Comparative Study on Acupuncturing the Different Acupoints of the Same Meridian with Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Purpose: To compare the changes in cerebral function when acupuncturing the different acupoints of the same meridian by functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). Materials and Methods: Using BOLD sequence to observe the changes in brain when acupuncturing the right ST36 (Zusanli) and ST40 (Fenglong) of 12 volunteers. The data were analyzed and compared by SPM2. Results: There were certain increases of brain activities in left parahippocampal gyrus,left middle temporal gyrus,left superior temporal gyrus,right superior temporal gyrus and right supramarginal gyrus when acupuncturing the ST36. And there were certain increases of in left superior temporal gyrus,left middle temporal gyrus,right superior temporal gyrus,right cingulate gyrus,right medial frontal gyrus and right paracentral lobule when acupuncturing the ST40. Conclusions: The similar but not identical physiological effects could be produced when acupuncturing the different acupoints of the same meridian. The bilateral superior temporal gyri and left middle temporal gyrus may be the common neural pathway when acupuncturing the right ST36 and ST40.