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Updated: Jun 18, 2025
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Monitoring Acupuncture Effects on Human Brain by fMRI
Published on: April 8, 2010
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Altered Brain Functional and Effective Connectivity Induced by Electroacupuncture in Rats Following Anterior Cruciate
Hao-Yu Lu1,2, Jia-Jia Wu1, Jun Shen3,4
1Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
Journal of Pain Research
|August 5, 2024
Summary
Electroacupuncture (EA) effectively relieved chronic knee osteoarthritis pain in rats. This study reveals EA alters brain connectivity, particularly in the basal ganglia and limbic system, offering insights into pain relief mechanisms.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pain Management
- Traditional Chinese Medicine
Background:
- Chronic pain from knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is common.
- Electroacupuncture (EA) is a traditional Chinese therapy that helps alleviate KOA pain.
- This study investigates EA's effects on brain connectivity in a rat model of KOA.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore functional connectivity (FC) and effective connectivity (EC) changes induced by EA in rats with knee osteoarthritis (KOA).
- To utilize resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to analyze these connectivity alterations.
Main Methods:
- Rats with anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT) underwent either EA or sham-EA treatment for 3 weeks.
- Mechanical pain threshold (MPT) was measured before and after treatment.
- Resting-state fMRI was performed post-intervention to assess brain connectivity.
Main Results:
- EA treatment significantly reduced pain in post-ACLT rats.
- EA altered functional connectivity (FC) between several brain regions, including the raphe, auditory cortex, caudate-putamen, internal capsule, zona incerta, piriform cortex, hippocampus, and septum.
- Effective connectivity (EC) alterations were observed between the septum and internal capsule.
Conclusions:
- EA demonstrates analgesic effects in rats with KOA.
- Observed changes in FC and EC, involving the basal ganglia and limbic system, suggest potential neural mechanisms for EA's pain-relieving effects.
- This research provides new insights into the connectomic plasticity associated with EA treatment in KOA.
