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Zhao TT, Pei LX, Guo J, Liu YK, Wang YH, Song YF, Zhou JL, Chen H, Chen L, Sun JH. Acupuncture-Neuroimaging Research Trends over Past Two Decades: A Bibliometric Analysis. Chin J Integr Med 2023; 29:258-267. [PMID: 35508861 DOI: 10.1007/s11655-022-3672-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To identify topics attracting growing research attention as well as frontier trends of acupuncture-neuroimaging research over the past two decades. METHODS This paper reviewed data in the published literature on acupuncture neuroimaging from 2000 to 2020, which was retrieved from the Web of Science database. CiteSpace was used to analyze the publication years, countries, institutions, authors, keywords, co-citation of authors, journals, and references. RESULTS A total of 981 publications were included in the final review. The number of publications has increased in the recent 20 years accompanied by some fluctuations. Notably, the most productive country was China, while Harvard University ranked first among institutions in this field. The most productive author was Tian J with the highest number of articles (50), whereas the most co-cited author was Hui KKS (325). Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine (92) was the most prolific journal, while Neuroimage was the most co-cited journal (538). An article written by Hui KKS (2005) exhibited the highest co-citation number (112). The keywords "acupuncture" (475) and "electroacupuncture" (0.10) had the highest frequency and centrality, respectively. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) ranked first with the highest citation burst (6.76). CONCLUSION The most active research topics in the field of acupuncture-neuroimaging over the past two decades included research type, acupoint specificity, neuroimaging methods, brain regions, acupuncture modality, acupoint specificity, diseases and symptoms treated, and research type. Whilst research frontier topics were "nerve regeneration", "functional connectivity", "neural regeneration", "brain network", "fMRI" and "manual acupuncture".
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Affiliation(s)
- Ting-Ting Zhao
- Department of Acupuncture Rehabilitation, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210029, China
| | - Li-Xia Pei
- Department of Acupuncture Rehabilitation, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210029, China.,Acupuncture and Moxibustion Disease Project Group of China Evidence-Based Medicine Center of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210029, China
| | - Jing Guo
- Department of Acupuncture Rehabilitation, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210029, China
| | - Yong-Kang Liu
- Department of Radiology, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210029, China
| | - Yu-Hang Wang
- Department of Acupuncture Rehabilitation, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210029, China
| | - Ya-Fang Song
- Acupuncture and Massage College, Health and Rehabilitation College, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Jun-Ling Zhou
- Department of Acupuncture Rehabilitation, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210029, China
| | - Hao Chen
- Acupuncture and Massage College, Health and Rehabilitation College, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Lu Chen
- Acupuncture and Moxibustion Disease Project Group of China Evidence-Based Medicine Center of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210029, China
| | - Jian-Hua Sun
- Department of Acupuncture Rehabilitation, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210029, China. .,Acupuncture and Moxibustion Disease Project Group of China Evidence-Based Medicine Center of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210029, China.
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Huang L, Xu G, He J, Tian H, Zhou Z, Huang F, Liu Y, Sun M, Liang F. Bibliometric Analysis of Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Studies on Acupuncture Analgesia Over the Past 20 Years. J Pain Res 2021; 14:3773-3789. [PMID: 34916843 PMCID: PMC8670890 DOI: 10.2147/jpr.s340961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Researches on the central mechanisms of acupuncture analgesia have been widely conducted worldwide. However, there is no bibliometric analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies on acupuncture analgesia. This study visualized the current status, hot spots and frontiers of fMRI studies on acupuncture analgesia in the past 20 years to provide a theoretical basis for its clinical application. Methods All publications were obtained from Science Citation Index-Expanded (SCI-E) of Web of Science (WOS). We used CiteSpace to analyze publications, journals, cited journals, authors, cited authors, institutions, countries, references, and keywords. We also analyzed collaborative network maps and co-occurrence network maps. Results We retrieved a total of 797 articles. Regarding the volume of publications, the total number of annual publications showed a fluctuating but overall increasing trend. Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine (21 articles) was the most productive journal, and Pain (225 articles) was the most cited journal. The most productive author was Qin W (16 articles), and the most co-cited author was Hui KKS (111). The most prolific institution and country were Massachusetts General Hospital (34 articles) and USA (212 articles). “Pain” was the top-ranked for keyword frequency and centrality. “Functional connectivity” was the frontier hotspot for 2018–2021. Conclusion First, fMRI researches on acupuncture analgesia involved several countries (regions) and institutions, mainly located in the USA, China and Korea, and most of them were universities. In addition, the USA was a major contributor in this field. Second, in terms of disciplinary distribution, the literatures were mainly from clinical neurology, neuroscience, and radiology nuclear medicine medical imaging. Third, the keyword co-occurrence analysis showed that the hot keywords included pain, fMRI, and lower back pain. Fourth, through keyword clustering analysis, the hot disease was found to be lower back pain, and the hot contents were acupuncture specificity and frequency specificity. Fifth, a timeline analysis of the references identified that chronic low back pain and specificity will remain a hot topic for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liuyang Huang
- Acupuncture and Tuina School/The 3rd Teaching Hospital, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China
| | - Guixing Xu
- Acupuncture and Tuina School/The 3rd Teaching Hospital, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiamei He
- Acupuncture and Tuina School/The 3rd Teaching Hospital, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China
| | - Hao Tian
- Acupuncture and Tuina School/The 3rd Teaching Hospital, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhuo Zhou
- Acupuncture and Tuina School/The 3rd Teaching Hospital, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China
| | - Fengyuan Huang
- Acupuncture and Tuina School/The 3rd Teaching Hospital, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China
| | - Yilin Liu
- Acupuncture and Tuina School/The 3rd Teaching Hospital, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China
| | - Mingsheng Sun
- Acupuncture and Tuina School/The 3rd Teaching Hospital, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China
| | - Fanrong Liang
- Acupuncture and Tuina School/The 3rd Teaching Hospital, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine/Clinical Research Center for Acupuncture and Moxibustion in Sichuan Province, Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China
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Acupuncture Decreases Blood Pressure Related to Hypothalamus Functional Connectivity with Frontal Lobe, Cerebellum, and Insula: A Study of Instantaneous and Short-Term Acupuncture Treatment in Essential Hypertension. EVIDENCE-BASED COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE 2016; 2016:6908710. [PMID: 27688791 PMCID: PMC5027048 DOI: 10.1155/2016/6908710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2016] [Revised: 06/24/2016] [Accepted: 07/26/2016] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The therapeutic effects of acupuncture in decreasing blood pressure are ambiguous and underlying acupuncture in hypertension treatment has not been investigated. Our objective was to observe the change of quality of life and compare the differences in brain functional connectivity by investigating instantaneous and short-term acupuncture treatment in essential hypertension patients. A total of 30 patients were randomly divided into the LR3 group and sham acupoint group. Subjects received resting-state fMRI among preacupuncture, postinstantaneous, and short-term acupuncture treatment in two groups. Hypothalamus was selected as the seed point to analyze the changes in connectivity. We found three kinds of results: (1) There was statistical difference in systolic blood pressure in LR3 group after the short-term treatment and before acupuncture. (2) Compared with sham acupoint, acupuncture at LR3 instantaneous effects in the functional connectivity with seed points was more concentrated in the frontal lobe. (3) Compared with instantaneous effects, acupuncture LR3 short-term effects in the functional connectivity with seed points had more regions in frontal lobe, cerebellum, and insula. These brain areas constituted a neural network structure with specific functions that could explain the mechanism of therapy in hypertension patients by LR3 acupoint.
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Li F, He T, Xu Q, Lin LT, Li H, Liu Y, Shi GX, Liu CZ. What is the Acupoint? A preliminary review of Acupoints. PAIN MEDICINE 2015; 16:1905-15. [PMID: 25975413 DOI: 10.1111/pme.12761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Revised: 02/02/2015] [Accepted: 03/03/2015] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND According to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theory, acupoints are specifically chosen sites of acupuncture manipulation, and also the basis for studying the mechanism of acupuncture. Stimulating different acupoints on the body surface could provide various therapeutic benefits. However, what is the acupoint? This question is not clear. REVIEW SUMMARY We focuse on examining the function of acupoints from different perspectives, including the local and the systemic effects of stimulating acupoints. For example, acupoints may release certain substances or incur some changes, which could adjust the function of organs, maintain homeostasis. Furthermore, the therapeutic effects of verum acupoints versus sham acupoints were discussed. However, due to insufficience in evidence and in current methodologies, research into mechanisms of acupuncture is still incomplete. CONCLUSION This review might explain, to some extent, what an acupoint is. Further research into the identity of acupoints is warranted, and multidisciplinary methods using novel technologies may yield significant advances over existing knowledge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fang Li
- Acupuncture and Moxibustion Department, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Capital Medical University, 23 Meishuguanhou Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing, 100010, China.,Graduate school, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No. 312, Anshan West Road, Nankai District, Tianjin, 300193, China
| | - Tian He
- Acupuncture and Moxibustion Department, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Capital Medical University, 23 Meishuguanhou Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing, 100010, China
| | - Qian Xu
- Acupuncture and Moxibustion Department, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Capital Medical University, 23 Meishuguanhou Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing, 100010, China
| | - Li-Ting Lin
- Acupuncture and Moxibustion Department, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Capital Medical University, 23 Meishuguanhou Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing, 100010, China.,Graduate school, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No. 312, Anshan West Road, Nankai District, Tianjin, 300193, China
| | - Hui Li
- Acupuncture and Moxibustion Department, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Capital Medical University, 23 Meishuguanhou Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing, 100010, China.,Graduate school, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No. 312, Anshan West Road, Nankai District, Tianjin, 300193, China
| | - Yan Liu
- Acupuncture and Moxibustion Department, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Capital Medical University, 23 Meishuguanhou Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing, 100010, China.,Graduate school, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No. 312, Anshan West Road, Nankai District, Tianjin, 300193, China
| | - Guang-Xia Shi
- Acupuncture and Moxibustion Department, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Capital Medical University, 23 Meishuguanhou Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing, 100010, China
| | - Cun-Zhi Liu
- Acupuncture and Moxibustion Department, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Capital Medical University, 23 Meishuguanhou Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing, 100010, China
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Connectomics: a new direction in research to understand the mechanism of acupuncture. EVIDENCE-BASED COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE 2014; 2014:568429. [PMID: 24523823 PMCID: PMC3910072 DOI: 10.1155/2014/568429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2013] [Accepted: 11/26/2013] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Acupuncture has been used to treat various disorders in China and some other eastern countries for thousands of years. Nowadays, acupuncture is gradually accepted as an alternative and complementary method in western countries for its undeniable therapeutic effects. However, its central mechanism is still unclear. It is especially difficult to reveal how different regions in the brain influence one another and how the relationship is among these regions responding to acupuncture treatment. Recently, by applying neuroimaging techniques and network theory, acupuncture studies can make further efforts to investigate the influence of acupuncture on regional cerebral functional connectivity (FC) and the modulation on “acupuncture-related” networks. Connectomics appears to be a new direction in research to further understand the central mechanism underlying acupuncture. In this paper, an overview of connectomics application in acupuncture research will be discussed, with special emphasis on present findings of acupuncture and its influence on cerebral FC. Firstly, the connectomics concept and its significance on acupuncture will be outlined. Secondly, the commonly used brain imaging techniques will be briefly introduced. Thirdly, the influence of acupuncture on FC will be discussed in greater detail. Finally, the possible direction in forthcoming research will be reviewed by analyzing the limitation of present studies.
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Hypothalamus-related resting brain network underlying short-term acupuncture treatment in primary hypertension. EVIDENCE-BASED COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE 2013; 2013:808971. [PMID: 23781269 PMCID: PMC3678444 DOI: 10.1155/2013/808971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2013] [Revised: 03/31/2013] [Accepted: 04/11/2013] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The present study attempted to explore modulated hypothalamus-seeded resting brain network underlying the cardiovascular system in primary hypertensive patients after short-term acupuncture treatment. Thirty right-handed patients (14 male) were divided randomly into acupuncture and control groups. The acupuncture group received a continuous five-day acupuncture treatment and undertook three resting-state fMRI scans and 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) as well as SF-36 questionnaires before, after, and one month after acupuncture treatment. The control group undertook fMRI scans and 24-hour ABPM. For verum acupuncture, average blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) decreased after treatment but showed no statistical differences. There were no significant differences in BP and HR between the acupuncture and control groups. Notably, SF-36 indicated that bodily pain (P = 0.005) decreased and vitality (P = 0.036) increased after acupuncture compared to the baseline. The hypothalamus-related brain network showed increased functional connectivity with the medulla, brainstem, cerebellum, limbic system, thalamus, and frontal lobes. In conclusion, short-term acupuncture did not decrease BP significantly but appeared to improve body pain and vitality. Acupuncture may regulate the cardiovascular system through a complicated brain network from the cortical level, the hypothalamus, and the brainstem.
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You Y, Bai L, Dai R, Cheng H, Liu Z, Wei W, Tian J. Altered hub configurations within default mode network following acupuncture at ST36: a multimodal investigation combining fMRI and MEG. PLoS One 2013; 8:e64509. [PMID: 23691237 PMCID: PMC3656906 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0064509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2013] [Accepted: 04/13/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Acupuncture, an externally somatosensory stimulation in the Traditional Chinese Medicine, has been proposed about its modulations on the brain's default mode network (DMN). However, it is still unknown on how the internal brain resting networks are modulated and what inferences can be made about the physiological processes underlying these changes. Combining high spatial resolution of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with high temporal resolution of magnetoencephalography (MEG), in the current multimodal study, we sought to explore spatiotemporally whether or not band-specific DMN hub configurations would be induced by verum acupuncture, compared with sham control. Spatial independent component analysis was applied to fMRI data, followed by the discrete regional sources seeded into MEG data. Partial correlation analysis was further adopted to estimate the intrinsic functional connectivity and network hub configurations. One of the most striking findings is that the posterior cingulate cortex is not only validated as a robust DMN hub, but served as a hub only within the delta and gamma bands following the verum acupuncture, compared with its consistently being a DMN hub in sham control group. Our preliminary results may provide a new perspective to lend support for the specificity of neural mechanism underlying acupuncture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Youbo You
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Imaging and Functional Imaging, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Lijun Bai
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Imaging and Functional Imaging, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- * E-mail: (JT); (LB)
| | - Ruwei Dai
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Imaging and Functional Imaging, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Hao Cheng
- Department of Anesthesiology, Beijing Ditan Hospital affiliated to Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Zhenyu Liu
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Imaging and Functional Imaging, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Wenjuan Wei
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Imaging and Functional Imaging, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jie Tian
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Imaging and Functional Imaging, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Life Science Research Center, School of Electronic Engineering, Xidian University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
- * E-mail: (JT); (LB)
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Bai L, Lao L. Neurobiological foundations of acupuncture: the relevance and future prospect based on neuroimaging evidence. EVIDENCE-BASED COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE : ECAM 2013; 2013:812568. [PMID: 23737848 PMCID: PMC3666300 DOI: 10.1155/2013/812568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2013] [Accepted: 04/17/2013] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Acupuncture is currently gaining popularity as an important modality of alternative and complementary medicine in the western world. Modern neuroimaging techniques such as functional magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography, and magnetoencephalography open a window into the neurobiological foundations of acupuncture. In this review, we have summarized evidence derived from neuroimaging studies and tried to elucidate both neurophysiological correlates and key experimental factors involving acupuncture. Converging evidence focusing on acute effects of acupuncture has revealed significant modulatory activities at widespread cerebrocerebellar brain regions. Given the delayed effect of acupuncture, block-designed analysis may produce bias, and acupuncture shared a common feature that identified voxels that coded the temporal dimension for which multiple levels of their dynamic activities in concert cause the processing of acupuncture. Expectation in acupuncture treatment has a physiological effect on the brain network, which may be heterogeneous from acupuncture mechanism. "Deqi" response, bearing clinical relevance and association with distinct nerve fibers, has the specific neurophysiology foundation reflected by neural responses to acupuncture stimuli. The type of sham treatment chosen is dependent on the research question asked and the type of acupuncture treatment to be tested. Due to the complexities of the therapeutic mechanisms of acupuncture, using multiple controls is an optimal choice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lijun Bai
- The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering, Ministry of Education, Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
| | - Lixing Lao
- Center for Integrative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, 520 W. Lombard Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
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