Tag: acupuncture and brain research
Brain Activation in Acupuncture Local and Distal for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Whole article is here. If I ever get around to learning all the brain areas, I might be able to comment better on this study. Fascinating that the local and distal both worked better than the sham acupuncture on the affected limb. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013;2013:795906. Acupuncture-evoked response in somatosensory and prefrontal cortices predicts…
Read MoreNeural Encoding of Acupuncture Needling Sensation
I like this study because it’s very precise. It also uses strictly deqi as a stimulation technique. This is part of a larger study I’m doing to come up with new models for acupuncture treatment Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine Volume 2013 (2013), Article ID 483105, 15 pages http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/483105 Neural Encoding of Acupuncture Needling…
Read MoreChronic Low Back Pain Characterized by Emotional Circuits in the Brain
This post is for background purposes. There has been interesting work done in the Acupuncture Research community looking at which regions of the brain light up during acupuncture. I don’t claim to be an expert in any way on this topic, but I think it might be key to understanding acupuncture’s mechanisms and, perhaps, ways…
Read MoreSummary of Acupuncture Physiology: Relevance for GI Tract
Nice succinct review of the current understanding of acupuncture’s effects physiologically. Int Rev Neurobiol. 2013;111:273-94 Effect and mechanism of acupuncture on gastrointestinal diseases. Takahashi T. Source Department of Neurology and Department of Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin and Zablocki VA Medical Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. Electronic address: ttakahashi@mcw.edu. Abstract Acupuncture modulates various biomechanical responses, such…
Read MoreAnti-Hypotensive Effects of Acupuncture: Longhurst
This abstract and powerpoint by Longhurst looks at the physiology of the anti-hypotensive effects of acupuncture. Abstract here John Longhurst Power point here John Longhurst_ppt
Read MoreNerve Growth Factor and Dementia: Acupuncture Effects
This is from the lab of Manni et al. I’ve been following his work for awhile because of his work on allergies and acupuncture. My previous post discussed his approach to the topic, also involving Nerve Growth Factor (NGF.) J Alzheimers Dis. 2013;33(3):767-73. doi: 10.3233/JAD-2012-121309. Brain cholinergic markers and Tau phosphorylation are altered in experimental…
Read MoreComprehensive Article on the Physiology of PC6
I’m posting this article because it is a treasure trove of the most recent physiology behind the Acupuncture Point PC6, used classically for heart conditions, but famous in latter day culture for its effects on nausea (magnet sea bands), but also thought to increase vagal nerve activity. Increasing vagal nerve activity is the heart…
Read MoreCardiovascular Depressor Response: Longhurst Brain Study
Blog has been quiet since I was overseas after attending and presenting at the SAR conference in Ann Arbor. It was a pretty good conference. No big breakthroughs yet, unfortunately, but incremental progress with brain mapping. An interesting forum discussion on electroacupuncture versus manual acupuncture. The upshot was that we don’t have enough evidence yet. …
Read MoreChronic Pain and the Role of Brain Activity
This article has pertinent discussion of the issues behind chronic pain. When a person has chronic pain, they end up with “central sensitization.” What this means is that even if the initial pain problem is gone, the brain keeps signalling that there is a problem. This brain initiated signal can lead to ongoing and pernicious…
Read MoreBrain Specificity of Acupuncture Points More fMRI
This is another study showing different brain specificity of acupuncture points in their reflection in the brain. In this case, they showed that two points close together anatomically, have different fMRI activity. Recent discussion on a similar topic here. Chin Med J (Engl). 2012 Aug;125(15):2694-700. Functional organization of complex brain networks modulated by acupuncture at…
Read More