A pilot study scanning brain activity in patients with anxiety disorders was conducted in order to determine the physiological effects of acupuncture on the brain and how it helps relaxation. By scanning the Prefrontal Cortex of the brains of 10 subjects using a technology called NIRS which stands for Near-Infrared Spectroscopy the researchers found that acupuncture changed the activity in the brains of the subjects to mitigate stress and anxiety levels.
Fascinating stuff indeed and we look forward to learning more when further studies widen the net and dig deeper into this topic of how acupuncture affects brain and the nervous system to provide the physiological and psychological results that it does.
Effects of Acupuncture on Anxiety Levels and Prefrontal Cortex Activity Measured by Near-Infrared Spectroscopy: A Pilot Study.
There is increasing evidence that acupuncture is useful in treating somatic and psychological disorders caused by stress; however, the physiological basis of the effect remains unclear. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of acupuncture on psychological conditions (i.e., anxiety) and prefrontal cortex (PFC) activity. We studied 10 patients with anxiety disorders and measured anxiety levels by means of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), including state anxiety (STAI-1) and trait anxiety (STAI-2). Employing a two-channel NIRS device, we measured oxy-Hb concentration in the bilateral PFC at rest, and evaluated asymmetry of the PFC activity by calculating the Laterality Index at Rest (LIR). The patients were treated by acupuncture at Yui Clinic in Osaka. The treatment significantly decreased the STAI-1 score (p<0.001), but not the STAI-2 score (p>0.05). The NIRS measurements indicated the presence of spontaneous oscillations of oxy-Hb in the bilateral PFC at rest before and after the treatment. Notably LIR decreased significantly in 7 out of the 10 subjects (p<0.01), while 3 subjects showed an increasing tendency. The present pilot study indicates that acupuncture is effective in decreasing anxiety levels in patients with anxiety disorders. Our NIRS data suggest that acupuncture may alter the balance of PFC activity at rest, resulting in relaxation effects. Our NIRS data suggest that acupuncture changes the balance of PFC activity toward left-dominant, resulting in relaxation effects on the patients.
