| Acupuncture, a traditional Chinese healing technique, has gained credibility in the treatment of various diseases in China. In 1997, the National Institution of Health (NIH) consensus conference on acupuncture was held in U.S, on which acupuncture was defined as an alternative and complementary therapeutic intervention, and a set of standards were made for acupuncture. However, the mainstream role of acupuncture for various health conditions is not clarified, because the mechanism by which acupuncture achieves its therapeutic effects has not been elucidated. Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) has provided a reliable approach to detect the real-time and in-vivo changeability in human central nerve system (CNS). This project is an attempt to study the underlying mechanism of acupuncture with help of fMRI via identifying the different neuro-network corresponding to deferent acupoints.This thesis reviews hundreds of studies on acupuncture on a generally recognized ground in the past ten years. The complex effects caused by acupuncture stimulation are analyzed. The hypothesis that acupuncture stimulation causes the sustained effect is proposed, which is contradictory to classical experimental paradigm. Series of analysis is carried out and verifies the hypothesis, which, at the same time proves the traditional experimental design is improper for acupuncture studies. Further more, a new experimental is adopted, the corresponding data analysis method as well. The result shows the functional connectivity networks differ after the manipulation on vision-related acupoints. This study certifies the acupoints specificity does exist, which extends a new way leading to the essence of acupuncture.This is a fundamental study and ice-breaking breakthrough in acupuncture research. Firstly, it challenges the traditional research pattern and identifies the difference, which has been proved by data and statistical analysis. Secondly, it focuses on the sustained acupuncture effects rather than transient effects. Finally, this is a systematic study and provides a possibly potential foundation for future studies. |
