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Original article
Regional homogeneity analysis on acupoint specificity with
resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging
REN Xiu-jun, CHEN Hong-yan, WANG Bao-guo, ZHAO Bai-xiao, LI Shao-wu, ZHANG Lei, DAI Jian-ping,
LIU Xiao-yuan and LUO Fang
Keywords: acupoint; functional magnetic resonance imaging; transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation
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Background The mechanism of acupuncture analgesia in craniotomy has been widely studied. However, the
theoretical basis for selection of acupoints has not been examined. In this study, we used the regional homogeneity
method blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signals to determine changes in brain activity in response to
transcutaneous electrical stimulation on acupoints and non-acupoints in resting state functional magnetic resonance
imaging (fMRI).
Methods Twelve healthy volunteers were enrolled in this study. BOLD fMRI scanning of the brain was performed for
306 seconds before and 30 minutes after transcutaneous electrical stimulation on acupoints UB63 (Jinmen), LV3 (Tai
chong), ST36 (Zusanli), and GB40 (Qiuxu). The procedure was repeated after one week with stimulation on
non-acupoints (one was 9 above BL67, the second was 12 above BL67 (Kunlun), the third was 7 above KI3, and the
fourth was 10 above KI3 (Taixi)).
Results The regional homogeneity in the acupoint group was increased in the left thalamus, caudate, putamen,
lentiform nucleus (BA19, 30, 39), postcentral gyrus, precentral gyrus (BA3, 4, 30, 32), calcarine fissure, middle temporal
gyrus (BA30), right superior temporal gyrus, inferior temporal gyrus (BA38), cuneus, and precuneus (BA7, 19) when
compared to the non-acupoint group. The regional homogeneity of the acupoint group was decreased in the left
cerebellum posterior lobe, middle frontal gyrus (BA10), double-side precuneus (BA7), and the postcentral gyrus (BA40).
Conclusions The brain region activated following acupoint stimulation is the ipsilateral pain-related brain region, which
may relate to the therapeutic effect of acupuncture on pain relief. Further acupoint stimulation causes different central
nervous responses compared to non-acupoint stimulation.
Chin Med J 2012;125(9):1627-1632
prior to subsequent stimulus.15 However, acupuncture can transcutaneous electrical stimulation of acupoints and
produce time-dependent effects. Other limitations of non-acupoints with alternating frequencies between 2 and
block design studies include design complexity, as well as 100 Hz for 30 minutes. We hypothesized that acupoint
difficulties for acupuncture operation and patient stimulation would produce a different fMRI-ReHo pattern
cooperation. as compared with non-acupoint stimulation.
In the present study, we examined acupoint specificity in Figure 1. Experiment paradigm. Rest, the stage before
the resting state by the fMRI-ReHo method via stimulation. After: the stage after 30 minutes stimulation.
Chinese Medical Journal 2012;125(9):1627-1632 1629
tendon of muscle extensor digitorum longus) were oxygen level dependent imaging sequence. The
stimulated with 3–9 mA ((6.25±2.09) mA) intensity. acquisition parameters were TR/TE=2000/30 ms,
Sham points 1 and 2 (9 and 12 straight above BL67, thickness/gap=4.0/0 mm, FOV=256×256 mm2,
Kunlun) were stimulated with 3–9 mA ((6.25±1.86) mA) resolution=64×64, flip angle=90°, and slice=32. In
intensity. Sham points 2 and 3 (7 and 10 directly above addition, a T2-weighted sagittal three-dimensional
KI3, Taixi) were stimulated with 3–9 mA ((5.33±1.83) MPRAGE sequence was acquired, covering the entire
mA) intensity. Each subject was stimulated for 30 brain (250 slices, TR=2100 ms, TE=3.25 ms, slice
minutes. The locations of acupoints and non-acupoints thickness=1.0 mm, flip angle=10°, TI=1200,
are shown in Figure 2. FOV=256×256 mm2, base resolution=256×256). For each
subject, the fMRI scan during the resting state lasted for
Imaging protocol 306 seconds, and 150 volumes were obtained.
Each subject received two scans (before electric needle
stimulation (rest) and 30 minutes after electric needle Image preprocessing
stimulation (after)). Each BOLD scan lasted 306 seconds. Image preprocessing was performed using statistical
The stimulation and scan procedures are summarized in parametric mapping (SPM5, Wellcome Department of
Figure 1. Imaging Neuroscience, London, UK). The first 10
volumes of each functional time series were discarded
Apparatus and scanning procedures because of instability of initial magnetic resonance
Experiments were performed with a 3.0 T whole body imaging signal and adaptation of participants to the
scanner (Magnetom Trio, Siemens, Germany) with a circumstance, leaving 140 volumes. The remaining fMRI
standard head coil. Subjects were asked to lie in the images were preprocessed using SPM5 software. Images
supine position on a scanner bed. All subjects were were slice-time corrected, aligned to the first image of
informed that their brains would be scanned and that they each session for motion correction, and then spatially
would receive acupuncture during scanning. However, normalized.
patients did not know the exact stimulation time or points.
Subjects were fitted with a headset during the resting Regional homogeneity analysis
scan. Their eyes were closed and covered with blinders ReHo analysis18 was performed using REST software
and their ears were plugged with earplugs. Subjects were (Resting state fMRI data analysis toolkit,
instructed to remain as motionless as possible, and not to http://sourceforge.net/projects/resting-fMRI). First, linear
think about anything in particular. The lights in the regression was used to remove the influence of head
scanning room were dimmed and there were no sounds motion, whole brain signals, and linear trends, and the
other than the noise from the scanner. fMRI data were temporally band-pass filtered (0.01–0.08
Hz) with REST. REST software was used to measure
Functional images were collected axially by using blood regional homogeneity, as reported by Zang et al.18 We
used Kendall’s coefficient of concordance (KCC)24 to
measure regional homogeneity of the time series of a
given voxel with its nearest 26-neighbor voxels in a
voxel-wise way:
W= ∑ (R )
i
2
− n( R ) 2
1 2 3
K ( n − n)
12
where W is the KCC among given voxels , ranged from 0
to 1, Ri the sum rank of the ith time point where
R=((n+1)K)/2 is the mean of the Ri’s, K is the number of
time series within a measured cluster (here, K=27, one
given voxel plus the number of its neighbors), and n is the
number of ranks (here n=175). The KCC value was
calculated according to this voxel, and an individual KCC
map was obtained for each subject. This procedure was
implemented by REST software. Subsequently, the
functional images were spatially smoothed with a
Gaussian kernel of 4×4×4 mm3 full-width at half
maximum.
at a combined threshold of P <0.05 (t >2.2622) and Table 1. ReHo differences in the KCC maps between acupoint
cluster size >1458 mm3, which resulted in a corrected group and non-acupoint group
MNI
threshold of P <0.05 determined by AlphaSim of Monte Cluster t-Score of
Connected regions BA Coordinates of
Carlo25 (http: //afni.nih.gov/afni/docpdf/AlphaSim.pdf). size peak voxel
peak voxel
L: Cerebellum posterior lobe 102 −4.5705 −9 −78 −51
RESULTS R: Superior temporal 38 59 3.5023 27 6 −45
gyrus/inferior temporal gyrus
ReHo results from the acupoint and non-acupoint groups L: Middle frontal gyrus 10 55 −7.2481 −24 66 12
L: Calcarine fissure/middle 30 81 4.5644 −39 −63 12
are shown in Figure 3 and the Table 1. The regional temporal gyrus
homogeneity in the acupoint group was significantly L: Thalamus/caudate/ 19/30/39 72 5.009 −24 3 15
increased in the left thalamus, caudate, putamen, Putamen/lentiform nucleus
lentiform nucleus (BA19, 30, and 39), postcentral gyrus, L: Postcentral gyrus/precentral 3/4/30 57 4.4139 −36 −18 48
precentral gyrus (BA3, 4, 30, and 32), calcarine fissure, gyrus
L: Medial frontal gyrus 32 86 4.6972 −18 18 42
middle temporal gyrus (BA30), right superior temporal
R: Cuneus/precuneus 7/19 58 4.7906 9 −75 36
gyrus, inferior temporal gyrus (BA38), cuneus, and Precuneus 7 70 −6.0372 9 −63 45
precuneus (BA7 and 19) compared to the non-acupoint Postcentral gyrus 40 57 −3.4392 30 −42 60
group (P <0.05). The regional homogeneity of the BA: Brodmann’s area. L: left. R: right.
acupoint group was decreased in the left cerebellum
posterior lobe, middle frontal gyrus (BA10), double-sided is a Xi point of the foot Taiyang urinary bladder meridian
precuneus (BA7), and postcentral gyrus (BA40) that goes up to the back of the head. UB63 can cure the
compared to the non-acupoint group (P <0.05). pain at the back of the head. ST6 is the point of the foot
Yangming stomach meridian that goes up to the front of
DISCUSSION the head. GB40 is the Yuan source point of the foot
Shaoyang gall bladder meridian that goes up to the lateral
In the present study, we investigated the ReHo fMRI side of the head. GB40 can cure migraine headache. LV3
signal changes evoked by transcutaneous AES, and found is the Yuan point of the foot Jueyin liver meridian that
that the acupoint group exhibited a different regional goes to the apex of the head. LV3 can cure the apex pain
homogeneity from that of the non-acupoint group. UB63 of the head. Acupuncture of these four points together can
cure headaches. Sham points 1–4 do not belong to the related to the sensory-discriminative aspects of pain
traditional meridians, and according to traditional theories processing. The thalamic response is bilateral, likely
they should not produce any treatment function. reflecting generalized arousal in reaction to pain.37 The
pain impulse transmission at the brainstem, thalamus, SI,
ReHo supposes that voxels within a functional brain area and SII is required for ascending activation in
are more temporally homogeneous when this area is sensory-discriminative function and descending
involved in a specific condition.18 ReHo measures the regulation. The acute pain network has been shown to
ReHo of the time series of the regional BOLD signal. include the thalamus, SI, SII, ACC, IC, and PFC.38 The
Thus, ReHo reflects the temporal homogeneity of the caudate nucleus has also been shown to be involved in
regional BOLD signal rather than its density. As the pain modulation, while Han et al suggested that
BOLD signal of fMRI may reflect neural activity, acupuncture signals can enter the cerebral cortex through
abnormal ReHo may reflect regional changes in temporal the thalamus.39 We speculated that transcutaneous
aspects of neural activity. ReHo may therefore detect electrical stimulating acupoints could relieve pain through
brain regions with abnormal activity. ReHo analysis is an effect on pain-related regions. Transcutaneous
commonly used to study the default network of the brain electrical stimulation of acupoints could strengthen the
in the normal resting state.25,26 It has also been used to temporal homogeneity of neural activity in pain related
study the default network of the brain in the abnormal regions more than the non-acupoint stimulation.
resting state.27 Abnormal ReHo has been observed in
Alzheimer’s disease,28 schizophrenia,29 and attention We used the regional homogeneity method to analyze
deficit hyperactivity disorder30 in the resting state. In the BOLD signals to determine changes in brain activity in
current study, we only focused on pain related regions. response to transcutaneous electrical stimulation on
After 30 minutes of transcutaneous electrical stimulation acupoints and non-acupoints in Rest-fMRI. This study
we found a higher ReHo at ipsilateral pain-related regions may find some evidence of acupoint specificity, but it still
including the thalamus, caudate, postcentral gyrus, and needs to do more work in clinic.
precentral gyrus (BA3, 4, 30, and 32) when compared to
that of non-acupoint regions. BA3 belongs to the primary In conclusion, using the fMRI-ReHo method we found
somatosensory (SI), which is located at the postcentral that acupoint stimulation led to different central nervous
gyrus. BA4 is the first body movement cortex. responses compared to those with non-acupoint
stimulation. Transcutaneous EAS may relieve pain via
Some areas of the brain, including the ipsilateral middle pain-related regions.
frontal gyrus, middle temporal gyrus, contralateral
superior temporal gyrus, and inferior temporal gyrus, are Acknowledgements: The authors are highly grateful to Professor
involved in major functions other than pain processes, ZANG Yu-feng (State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience
including cognitive function. In the current study, and Learning, Beijing Normal University) for software support.
however, we only examined changes in homogeneity at
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