[Acupuncture and acetylcholine]

A review of the relationship between electro-acupuncture and acetylcholine is presented. Brain cholinergic mechanisms of areas such as hypothalamus, thalamus, locus coeruleus, caudatus-putamen complex and cortex are surely involved in the production of acupuncture analgesia; the role of peripheral cholinergic mechanisms is still disputed, although confirmed by a certain number of indirect positive results.