Spatial-temporal representation of cortical neural activity evoked by acupuncture stimulation

Acupuncture modulates cognitive functions through acupoint stimulation and demonstrates significant regulatory effects on brain disorders. However, the underlying neurodynamic mechanisms of acupuncture remain unclear due to a lack of effective measures of brain activity. In this study, we developed an acupuncture-related potential (ARP) method based on Electroencephalogram (EEG) to elucidate the dynamic representation mechanisms underlying acupuncture stimulation. By analyzing ARP signal features and functional networks to capture stimulus-evoked brain activity, we derived spatiotemporal representations of neural manifolds and located across whole brain regions. It is exhibited that acupuncture induced significant four-phase event-related potentials (ERPs) waveforms predominantly in the parietal, frontal, central, and temporal lobes, with the parietal lobe exhibiting the highest amplitude at the P1 component (first positive peak). Latency gradients confirmed that the cortical neural activity originated in the parietal lobe and propagated through the central region to the frontal and temporal lobes. Dynamic network analysis revealed phase-specific reorganization: local frontal propagation (P1 component), global integration (P2 component), and novel topological pattern formation (P3 component). Neural manifold analysis uncovered a low-dimensional, ring-shaped representation encompassing the frontal, parietal, central, and temporal lobes. Acupuncture modulates brain function by activating key parietal lobe nodes, triggering distance-attenuated inter-regional signal transmission that dynamically reorganizes functional networks for multi-regional collaboration. The neural manifold representation revealed perception and integration of mechanisms of acupuncture information in the human brain. This ARP method provided a novel framework for investigating acupuncture-modulated spatiotemporal brain dynamics while enabling quantitative evaluation of its therapeutic effects.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11571-025-10408-w.