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Acupuncture needling sensation: the neural correlates of deqi using fMRI

Asghar, Aziz U. R.; Green, Gary; Lythgoe, Mark F.; Lewith, George; MacPherson, Hugh

Authors

Aziz U. R. Asghar

Gary Green

Mark F. Lythgoe

George Lewith

Hugh MacPherson



Abstract

The needling sensation of deqi is considered by most acupuncturists to be an important component of acupuncture, yet neuroimaging research that investigates this needle sensation has been limited. In this study we have investigated the effect of deqi and acute pain needling sensations upon brain fMRI blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signals. Seventeen right-handed participants who received acupuncture at the right LI-4 (Hegu) acupoint were imaged in a 3T MRI scanner. fMRI datasets were classified, on the basis of psychophysical participants' reports of needling scores, into those that were associated with predominantly deqi sensations versus those with predominantly acute pain sensations. Brain areas showing changes in BOLD signal increases (activations) and decreases (deactivations) were identified. Differences were demonstrated in the pattern of activations and deactivations between groupings of scans associated with deqi versus pain sensations. For the deqi grouping, significant deactivations occurred, whereas significant activations did not. In contrast, the predominantly acute pain grouping was associated with a mixture of activations and deactivations. For the comparison between the predominately deqi sensation grouping and the acute pain sensation grouping (deqi > pain contrast), only negative Z value voxels resulted (mainly from deactivations in the deqi grouping and activations in the pain grouping) in the limbic/sub-cortical structures and the cerebellum regions of interest. Our results show the importance of collecting and accounting for needle sensation data in neuroimaging studies of acupuncture. © 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Citation

Asghar, A. U. R., Green, G., Lythgoe, M. F., Lewith, G., & MacPherson, H. (2010). Acupuncture needling sensation: the neural correlates of deqi using fMRI. Brain research, 1315, 111-118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainres.2009.12.019

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Dec 7, 2009
Online Publication Date Dec 16, 2009
Publication Date Feb 22, 2010
Publicly Available Date Mar 28, 2024
Journal BRAIN RESEARCH
Print ISSN 0006-8993
Publisher Elsevier
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 1315
Pages 111-118
DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainres.2009.12.019
Keywords Functional magnetic resonance imaging; Acupuncture; Needling sensation
Public URL https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/391313
Publisher URL https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006899309026535?via%3Dihub