英國研究人員日前報告說，利用現(xiàn)代科學手段檢查中國傳統(tǒng)針灸的效果,，發(fā)現(xiàn)它可以引起大腦相應部位神經的變化,，這有助于分析針灸的作用原理。
英國約克大學等機構的研究人員在新一期美國學術期刊《腦研究》上報告說,，17名受試者接受了手上合谷穴針灸,，并同時接受大腦掃描。合谷穴位于手背虎口下方,。研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn),，在那些認為有“得氣”感覺的受試者中，與處理疼痛有關的大腦某部位神經出現(xiàn)活動降低的情況,。
“得氣”是指針灸過程中患者產生的酸,、麻、脹等感覺,，被認為是針灸取得效果的重要條件,。如果針灸時患者沒有“得氣”而只是感覺疼痛，那么針灸效果可能不佳,。本次研究發(fā)現(xiàn),，在僅感覺疼痛的患者中,，大腦相關部位的神經出現(xiàn)復雜變化：一些部位的神經活動增強，而另一些部位的神經活動減弱,。
參與研究的休·麥克弗森說,，這項研究提供了的科學證據(jù)說明，針灸可引起大腦產生一些特殊變化,，這有助于理解針灸復雜的作用原理,。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推薦原始出處：
Brain Research doi:10.1016/j.brainres.2009.12.019
Acupuncture needling sensation: The neural correlates of deqi using fMRI
Aziz UR Asghara, b, Gary Greena, Mark F. Lythgoec, George Lewithd and Hugh MacPhersone, ,
a York Neuroimaging Centre, University of York, Y10 5DG, UK
b Hull York Medical School and Department of Biological Sciences, University of Hull, Hull, HU6 7RX, UK
c RCS Unit of Biophysics, UCL Institute of Child Health, University College London, WC1N 3JH, UK
d Complementary Medicine Research Unit, University of Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK
e Department of Health Sciences, University of York, YO10 5DD, UK
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.
