[The influences of acupuncture on the cortical evoked potentials in rabbits]

In this work the visual, auditory, somatosensory evoked cortical potentials as well as raw EEGs were observed in 31 rabbits either anesthetized with urethane or conscious. The effects of acupuncture on them were as follows: 1) The main components of the evoked potentials were significantly depressed; 2) The raw EEGs were desynchronized while the animals appeared to be slightly activated; 3) Both the integral values of raw EEGs and the powers of lower frequency waves (1-3.99 Hz) were decreased and positively correlated well with the amplitudes of the main components of the evoked potentials. Therefore, It could not be ruled out that the effects of acupuncture on the evoked potentials are secondary to the changes of EEGs, and it is suggested that the inhibition of evoked potentials during acupuncture does not necessarily mean that the cerebral cortex is in an inhibitory state.