Pressure stimulus study on acupuncture points with multi-channel multimode-fiber diffuse speckle contrast analysis...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Traditional Chinese Medicine
• Physiology

Background:

• Diffuse Speckle Contrast Analysis (DSCA) offers a non-invasive method for assessing microvascular blood flow.
• Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) utilizes acupuncture, a practice whose physiological effects on microcirculation require further quantitative investigation.
• Understanding blood flow dynamics in deep tissues is crucial for evaluating therapeutic interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To construct and validate a multi-channel, multi-mode fiber deep tissue flowmetry system.
• To investigate the effects of pressure stimulus on acupuncture points along the large intestine meridian using the developed DSCA system.
• To analyze changes in microcirculatory parameters, including blood flow index, blood volume, and low-frequency oscillations.

Main Methods:

• A multi-channel multimode-fiber deep tissue flowmetry system based on DSCA was developed.
• The system simultaneously measured deep tissue blood flow at four acupuncture points (LI1, LI5, LI10, ST25) at 60 Hz.
• A pressure stimulus was applied to the LI4 (hegu) acupuncture point during the measurements.

Main Results:

• No significant changes were observed in the blood flow index (BFI) or blood volume (BV) post-stimulus.
• A notable increase in the amplitude and complexity of low-frequency oscillations (LFOs) in microcirculation was detected.
• The DSCA system successfully monitored blood flow dynamics at multiple deep tissue locations simultaneously.

Conclusions:

• The developed DSCA system is capable of monitoring deep tissue microcirculation during TCM interventions like acupuncture.
• Pressure stimulus on the LI4 acupuncture point modulated the oscillatory patterns of microcirculation without significantly altering overall blood flow index or volume.
• Further research can explore the physiological significance of altered LFOs in response to acupuncture and other stimuli.