The altered intrinsic functional connectivity after acupuncture at shenmen (HT7) in acute sleep deprivation

Accumulating evidence has shown that acupuncture could significantly improve the sleep quality and cognitive function of individuals suffering from insufficient sleep. Numerous animal studies have confirmed the effects and mechanisms of acupuncture on acute sleep deprivation (SD). However, the role of acupuncture on individuals after acute SD remains unclear.

In the current study, we recruited 30 healthy subjects with regular sleep. All subjects received resting-state fMRI scans during the rested wakefulness (RW) state and after 24 h of total SD. The scan after 24 h of total SD included two resting-state fMRI sessions before and after needling at Shenmen (HT7). Both edge-based and large-scale network FCs were calculated.

The edge-based results showed the suprathreshold edges with abnormal between-network FC involving all paired networks except somatosensory motor network (SMN)-SCN between the SD and RW state, while both decreased and increased between-network FC of edges involving all paired networks except frontoparietal network (FPN)-subcortical network (SCN) between before and after acupuncture at HT7. Compared with the RW state, the large-scale brain network results showed decreased between-network FC in SMN-Default Mode Network (DMN), SMN-FPN, and SMN-ventral attention network (VAN), and increased between-network FC in Dorsal Attention Network (DAN)-VAN, DAN-SMN between the RW state and after 24 h of total SD. After acupuncture at HT7, the large-scale brain network results showed decreased between-network FC in DAN-VAN and increased between-network FC in SMN-VAN.

Acupuncture could widely modulate extensive brain networks and reverse the specific between-network FC. The altered FC after acupuncture at HT7 may provide new evidence to interpret neuroimaging mechanisms of the acupuncture effect on acute SD.