Specific Acupoint Stimulation Effects on HRV and EGG

 

This study looks at the effects of various acupuncture points on HRV (vagus) and EGG (electrogastrgram activity) in healthy males.  I understand the need to do these studies in healthy volunteers, but it isn’t so interesting to me.  Anyway, one of the more surprising findings was that PC6 didn’t affect HRV nor EGG.  That contradicts numerous other studies.  They found that CV12 had effect on HRV, something I did not know.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23557872
Auton Neurosci. 2013 Dec;179(1-2):151-4. doi: 10.1016/j.autneu.2013.03.005. Epub 2013 Apr 2.
Site-specific organ-selective effect of epifascial acupuncture on cardiac and gastric autonomic functions.
Minagawa M1, Kurono Y, Ishigami T, Yamada A, Kakamu T, Akai R, Hayano J.
Author information
1The Oriental Medical Center Group Futaba Acupuncture and Moxibustion Clinic, Ogaki, Gifu, Japan.
Abstract
Needle stimulation at the specific sites of body surface modulates autonomic functions in various organs. To examine their site-specificity and organ-selectivity, the changes in electrogastrogram (EGG) and heart rate variability (HRV) with such stimulation at PC6 (forearm), BL20 (back), CV12 (abdomen), BL32 (sacral), and ST36 (lower leg) were analyzed in healthy men. Stimulation at CV12 increased vagal HRV component without affecting dominant EGG frequency. Conversely, stimulation at BL32 decreased dominant EGG frequency without affecting vagal HRV component. Stimulation at the other points affected neither of them. These support site-specific and organ-selective effect of body surface needle stimulation on autonomic functions.