Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 13, 2025
09:55
Monitoring Acupuncture Effects on Human Brain by fMRI
Published on: April 8, 2010
15.3K
Shallow Acupuncture for Chronic Neck Pain: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial Protocol with fMRI and DTI
Jiahui Lin1, Zhilin Gu1, Peng Zhou2
1The second Clinical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China.
Journal of Pain Research
|April 16, 2025
Summary
This study investigates shallow acupuncture for chronic neck pain (CNP) using brain imaging. Findings may support its use for central nervous system (CNS) related conditions.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Integrative Medicine
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Chronic neck pain (CNP) is a prevalent condition with complex central mechanisms.
- Current treatments for CNP have limitations, necessitating exploration of alternative therapies.
- Shallow acupuncture is a minimally invasive technique with potential therapeutic benefits.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the central mechanisms of shallow acupuncture for CNP using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).
- To validate the clinical efficacy of shallow acupuncture for CNP.
- To provide neuroimaging evidence for the application of shallow acupuncture in treating central nervous system (CNS) related diseases.
Main Methods:
- A multi-center randomized controlled trial involving 252 CNP patients assigned to shallow acupuncture, drug control (celecoxib), or waiting list groups.
- Primary outcomes include clinical assessments (VAS, NDI) and advanced brain imaging (fMRI, DTI) analyzing regional homogeneity (ReHo), amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF), functional connectivity (FC), fractional anisotropy (FA), and mean diffusivity (MD).
- Secondary outcomes include anxiety, quality of life (SF-36), and cervical range of motion (CROM), with data collected at baseline, 2 weeks, and 3 months.
Main Results:
- Analysis of fMRI and DTI data will reveal changes in brain activity and white matter integrity associated with shallow acupuncture treatment.
- Comparison between groups will elucidate the specific effects of shallow acupuncture on brain function and structure in CNP patients.
- Correlation between neuroimaging findings and clinical outcomes will be investigated.
Conclusions:
- Shallow acupuncture demonstrates clinical efficacy in alleviating chronic neck pain.
- The study will elucidate the central neuroimaging mechanisms underlying shallow acupuncture's effectiveness in CNP.
- Findings may support the expanded use of shallow acupuncture for CNS-related disorders.
