Neural Activities of Acunpuncture Stimulation at ST 36 (zusanli): A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of functional MRI

Abstract

Review question / Objective: To study the transient and long-term neural effects when acupuncture at ST36 acupoint in healthy subjects. Rationale: ST 36 (zusanli) is commonly used in the clinical practice of acupuncture in Chinese medicine. However, how acupuncture at ST 36 modulates neural activity across various brain regions is still l a c k i n g u n c l e a r. T h e a d v a n c e s i n noninvasive neuroimaging techniques, such as EEG, MRI, fNIRS, etc., allow researchers to study the mechanism of acupuncture in vivo or even in humans. There are emerging neuroimaging studies, INPLASY 1 International Platform of Registered Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Protocols