Functional magnetic resonance imaging detects activation of the visual association cortex during laser acupuncture of the foot in humans

doi:10.1016/S0304-3940(02)00383-X

Neuroscience Letters

Volume 327, Issue 1, 12 July 2002, Pages 53-56

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304-3940(02)00383-X Get rights and content

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of laser acupuncture on cerebral activation. Using functional magnetic imaging (fMRI) cortical activations during laser acupuncture at the left foot (Bladder 67) and dummy acupuncture, were compared employing a block design in ten healthy male volunteers. All experiments were done on a 1.5 Tesla magnetic resonance scanner equipped with a circular polarized head coil. During laser acupuncture, we found activation in the cuneus corresponding to Brodmann Area (BA) 18 and the medial occipital gyrus (BA 19) of the ipsilateral visual cortex. Placebo stimulation did not show any activation. We could demonstrate that laser acupuncture of a specific acupoint, empirically related to ophthalmic disorders, leads to activation of visual brain areas, whereas placebo acupuncture does not. These results indicate that fMRI has the potential to elucidate effects of acupuncture on brain activity.

Section snippets

Acknowledgements

The work was supported by the Biomed2 Project Grant PL 950870 of the European Community.

References (21)

J.C. Hsieh et al.
Activation of the hypothalamus characterizes the acupuncture stimulation at the analgesic point in humans: a positron emission tomography study
Neurosci. Lett.
(2001)
Q.A. Wang et al.
The arcuate nucleus of hypothalamus mediates low but not high frequency electroacupuncture analgesia in rats
Brain Res.
(1990)
Z.H. Cho et al.
New findings of the correlation between acupoints and corresponding brain cortices using functional MRI
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA
(1998)
Z.H. Cho et al.
Functional magnetic resonance imaging of the brain in the investigation of acupuncture
K.J. Friston et al.
Assessing the significance of focal activations using their spatial extent
Hum. Brain Mapp.
(1994)
K.J. Friston et al.
Detecting Activations in PET and fMRI: levels of inference and power
Neuroimage
(1995)
J.S. Han et al.
Neurochemical basis of acupuncture analgesia
Annu. Rev. Pharmacol. Toxicol.
(1982)
K.K. Hui et al.
Acupuncture modulates the limbic system and subcortical gray structures of the human brain: evidence from fMRI studies in normal subjects
Hum. Brain Mapp.
(2000)
G. Kellner
On a vascularized nerve-ending corpuscle of the Krause end-organ type
Z. Mikrosk. Anat. Forsch.
(1966)
K.K. Kwong
Functional magnetic resonance imaging with echo planar imaging
Magn. Reson. Q.
(1995)

There are more references available in the full text version of this article.

Cited by (159)

Action at a distance: Laser acupuncture and the brain
2019, Photobiomodulation in the Brain: Low-Level Laser (Light) Therapy in Neurology and Neuroscience
One of the more mysterious applications of photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) is laser acupuncture (LA). Defined as the nonthermal stimulation of traditional acupuncture or reflex points with a low-level laser, LA differs from the broader field of PBMT in that the irradiated points are not necessarily the target of the intended effect but, instead, are chosen based on traditional Chinese medicine theory or an associated bodily system, usually to achieve a nonlocal or systemic result. Despite its growing popularity in the West, relative safety and rapidly expanding body of research showing clinical efficacy for many conditions, a clear mechanism of action through which acupuncture exerts its effects on human physiology is lacking, and the same is even more true for LA. This chapter will provide an introduction to acupuncture theory and science as it relates to current brain research to provide context for the discussion of the effects of the modern development of LA and its unique ability to influence the function of the brain.
The brain effects of laser acupuncture at thirteen ghost acupoints in healthy individuals: A resting-state functional MRI investigation
2016, Computerized Medical Imaging and Graphics
Citation Excerpt :
In recent years, the low intensity laser acupuncture (LA) emerged as a new modality of acupuncture and became increasingly popular due to its painless and noninvasive advantages (Siedentopf et al., 2002; Siedentopf et al., 2005) and its operations in a precise and controlled manner when performing acupuncture (Siedentopf et al., 2002) since the stimulating depth and strength of LA are independent of the acupuncturist’s experience. Previous studies had demonstrated low intensity LA at particular acupoint could cause certain effect on brain activities (Napadow et al., 2005a; Siedentopf et al., 2002; Biella et al., 2001; Hui et al., 2000). For instance, in Siedentopf’s study (Siedentopf et al., 2002), laser acupuncture at an acupoint in foot (a target for visual disease treatment), caused the activation of the occipital cortex.
Acupuncture at thirteen ghost acupoints (TGA) was an effective treatment of neuropsychological disorders. However, the underlying neurological mechanisms of acupuncture at the TGA have not been revealed by modern scientific technologies. As laser acupuncture emerges with the painless and noninvasive advantages and the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) allows us to investigate the activation of the brain in vivo, we performed the preliminary study to investigate the relation to brain effects of acupuncture at TGA based on resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI). Twenty one healthy subjects underwent rs-fMRI scan before and after acupuncturing TGA (except HI11 and CV1). The regional homogeneity (ReHo) values and the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) values were evaluated within the whole brain and compared before and after laser stimulation of TGA. We found increased ReHo/ALFF value in serious brain regions, including right inferior occipital gyrus, bilateral middle occipital gyrus, left inferior temporal gyrus, and bilateral postcentral gyrus, after acupuncture. While, significantly decreased ReHo/ALFF value was found in the cerebellum, left superior medial frontal gyrus, left precuneus, right middle temporal gyrus, right middle frontal gyrus and left superior parietal lobule after laser stimulation. The changes in brain spontaneous function after laser acupuncture may suggest that acupuncturing at TGA may have the potential modulating effect of the cognitive functions. These preliminary findings of the changes of brain patterns at resting-state after TGA stimulation may lay the groundwork for further studies on its therapeutic effect in some neuropsychological disease models.
Amblyopia: Can Laser Acupuncture be an Option?
2016, JAMS Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies
Citation Excerpt :
LI1 was added to LI4 (bilateral) owing to its well-known efficacy in improving blood flow in the cerebral [14] and central retinal arteries. In addition, BL64 and BL67 were added to BL59 as they are known to activate the cortical regions involved in visual perception [15–17]. Furthermore, BL64 is known to be specific for eye affections deriving from kidney DeQi depletion.
This paper describes the results of the treatment of amblyopia in young patients using an unconventional laser-acupuncture technique. After obtaining satisfactory results in the treatment of a 14-year-old amblyopic girl, the treatment was applied to 13 amblyopic children aged 3–11 years, with an encouraging outcome. An ultralow-light-intensity laser with a square-wave modulated emission was applied over a sequence of acupuncture points. Each session lasted < 15 minutes, and the treatment was performed once a week in 6-week cycles. Patients were followed for several years to evaluate the long-term results and/or to extend the treatment. All except two of the treated patients showed a rapid increase in visual acuity after several treatment sessions. Some required retreatment for regressions in visual acuity. The need for medium-term treatment cycles seems, however, to suggest that results may not be stable for all individuals. Although acupuncture has already been proved to be effective in the treatment of amblyopia, the results reported in this paper suggest that laser acupuncture at ultra-low-light-intensity levels can provide similar, if not better, results to conventional acupuncture stimulation, but with higher patient compliance.
Laser acupuncture to reduce temporomandibular disorder (TMD) symptoms: systematic review and meta-analysis
2024, Lasers in Medical Science
Effect of low-level laser stimulation of acupuncture points in pediatric dentistry: a systematic review
2023, Lasers in Medical Science
Efficacy of Laser Therapy on Paralysis and Disability in Patients with Facial Palsy: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials †
2023, Healthcare (Switzerland)

View all citing articles on Scopus

View full text

Functional magnetic resonance imaging detects activation of the visual association cortex during laser acupuncture of the foot in humans

Abstract

Section snippets

Acknowledgements

Neurosci. Lett.

Brain Res.

New findings of the correlation between acupoints and corresponding brain cortices using functional MRI

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA

Functional magnetic resonance imaging of the brain in the investigation of acupuncture

Assessing the significance of focal activations using their spatial extent

Hum. Brain Mapp.

Detecting Activations in PET and fMRI: levels of inference and power

Neuroimage

Neurochemical basis of acupuncture analgesia

Annu. Rev. Pharmacol. Toxicol.

Acupuncture modulates the limbic system and subcortical gray structures of the human brain: evidence from fMRI studies in normal subjects

Hum. Brain Mapp.

On a vascularized nerve-ending corpuscle of the Krause end-organ type

Z. Mikrosk. Anat. Forsch.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging with echo planar imaging

Magn. Reson. Q.