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Updated: Aug 3, 2026
09:55
Monitoring Acupuncture Effects on Human Brain by fMRI
Published on: April 8, 2010
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Thalamocortical Mechanisms Underlying Real and Imagined Acupuncture
Qiao Kong1, Valeria Sacca1, Kathryn Walker1
1Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02129, USA.
Biomedicines
|July 29, 2023
Summary
Acupuncture and video-guided acupuncture imagery treatment (VGAIT) activate distinct thalamocortical networks for pain relief. VGAIT shows potential for remote pain management by engaging interoceptive and task-positive networks.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pain Management
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Acupuncture and guided imagery show promise for chronic pain, but their mechanisms are not fully understood.
- Thalamocortical pathways are crucial for sensory processing and pain modulation.
- Investigating resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) offers insights into brain network activity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the thalamocortical mechanisms of acupuncture and video-guided acupuncture imagery treatment (VGAIT) in pain management.
- To compare brain network alterations induced by real acupuncture, VGAIT, and their respective controls.
- To correlate brain network changes with pain threshold variations.
Main Methods:
- A within-subject randomized crossover design study with 27 healthy individuals.
- Utilized resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) analysis of thalamic subdivisions (VPL, MD, Mthal).
- Compared rsFC between thalamus and cortical regions (DMN, interoceptive, motor, sensory networks) across conditions.
Main Results:
- Real acupuncture modulated rsFC between the thalamus and default mode network (DMN) and somatosensory cortex.
- VGAIT increased rsFC between the thalamus and interoceptive network, motor, and sensory cortices.
- VGAIT showed greater thalamocortical rsFC with task-positive networks compared to real acupuncture, correlating with pain threshold changes.
Conclusions:
- Both acupuncture and VGAIT analgesia involve thalamocortical network modulation.
- VGAIT engages distinct brain networks compared to acupuncture alone, suggesting unique therapeutic mechanisms.
- VGAIT holds potential as a remote pain management strategy due to its distinct neural effects.
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