[Midnight-noon ebb-flow acupuncture at stomach meridian of foot-yangming: a fMRI study]

The status change of brain functional region of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of midnight-noon ebb-flow acupuncture method at stomach meridian was explored. Ten healthy volunteers were recruited. With identical sequence of magnetic resonance scans, fMRI data was collected respectively in the timely acupoint group, untimely acupoint group and timely non-acupoint group. Volunteers in the timely acupoint group were treated at Zusanli (ST 36) and Chongyang (ST 42) between 7:02:53 A.M. to 9:02:52 A.M.; volunteers in the untimely acupoint group were treated with Zusanli (ST 36) and Chongyang (ST 42) between 3:02 P.M. to 5:02 P.M.; volunteers in the timely non-acupoint group were treated at non-acupoints 1 to 2 cm outside Zusanli (ST 36) and Chongyang (ST 42) between 7:02:53 A. M. to 9:02:52 A.M.. All fMRI data was analyzed with SPM5 software, and intra-group comparison and among-group comparison of timely acupoint group, untimely acupoint group and timely non-acupoint group were performed. The tonsil of cerebellum, the right-side insular cortex showed strengthened function in the timely acupoint group; the right-side medial frontal gyrus showed weakened function in the untimely acupoint group; the right-sided insular cortex showed strengthened function in the timely non-acupoint group. The comparison among groups indicated that there was different brain change in three groups. The midnight-noon ebb-flow acupuncture method at stomach meridian is likely to activate the function of cerebellum and insular lobe, which can have a positive effect on patients with flaccidity syndrome and stomach diseases.