Neurobiology of Acupuncture: Toward CAM

Abstract

It has long been accepted that acupuncture, puncturing and scraping needles at certain points on the body, can have analgesic and anesthetic effects, as well as therapeutic effects in the treatment of various diseases. This therapy, including acupuncture anesthesia, has drawn the attention of many investigators and become a research subject of international interest around the world. Numerous studies have demonstrated that the nervous system, neurotransmitters, endogenous substances and Jingluo (meridians) may respond to needling stimulation and electrical acupuncture. An abundance of information has now accumulated concerning the neurobiological mechanisms of acupuncture, in relation to both neural pathways and neurotransmitters/hormonal factors that mediate autonomic regulation, pain relief and other therapeutics. Early studies demonstrated that the analgesic effects of electroacupuncture (EA) are mediated by opioid peptides in the periaqueductal gray. Recent evidence shows that nitric oxide plays an important role in mediating the cardiovascular responses to EA stimulation through the gracile nucleus-thalamic pathway. Other substances, including serotonin, catecholamines, inorganic chemicals and amino acids such as glutamate and α-aminobutyric acid (GABA), are proposed to mediate certain cardiovascular and analgesic effects of acupuncture, but at present their role is poorly understood. The increased interest in acupuncture health care has led to an ever-growing number of investigators pursuing research in the processes of the sense of needling touch, transduction of needling stimulation signals, stimulation parameters and placebos. In this Review, the evidence and understanding of the neurobiological processes of acupuncture research have been summarized with an emphasis on recent developments of nitric oxide mediating acupuncture signals through the dorsal medulla-thalamic pathways.

Peripheral and Spinal Mechanisms of Pain and Dry Needling Mediated Analgesia: A Clinical Resource Guide for Health Care Professionals

“…While stimulation of the ARC enhances the analgesic effects of DN, lesioning of the nucleus almost abolishes it [168,187]. Similarly, injection of ARC and PAG with the opioid receptor antagonist naloxone significantly inhibits the analgesic effects of DN [168,[187][188][189]. Activation of ARC and PAG results in the release of dynophorin and enkaphalin down into the spinal cord.…”

Effect of electroacupuncture to prevent selenite-induced cataract in Wistar rats

“…Some animal data and clinical observations suggest that acupuncture modulates activities in the central nervous system and influences treatment areas via release of neurotransmitters or hormones, or even by direct modulation of neural pathway (35)(36) . Secretion of many neurotransmitters has been associated with acupuncture mechanisms like endorphins, dynorphins, serotonin, catecholamines (37) . It is possible that acupuncture plays a neurohumoral role in preventing cataract.…”

Disfunción Temporomandibular Y Acupuntura

“…Otros estudios han demostrado que la analgesia es mediada por péptidos opioides y que derivados del óxido nitroso contribuyen a la respuesta neuronal de la estimulación de la electro acupuntura. 26,27 Otras sustancias como catecolaminas y aminoácidos como glutamato y GABA, también median algunos efectos cardiovasculares y analgésicos de la acupuntura. 26,27 La mezcla de la teoría de la compuerta con los componentes neuro-moduladores, plantean que si la téc-nica acupuntural es correcta, se dispara el bloqueo del dolor original por acción de la contracorriente, que activa la fibra nerviosa gruesa que origina la estimulación de receptores específicos de la hipófisis y en otros niveles cerebrales e inhibidas las fibras delgadas origina, entre otros, la liberación de endorfinas y demás acción neuroquímica.…”

“…26,27 Otras sustancias como catecolaminas y aminoácidos como glutamato y GABA, también median algunos efectos cardiovasculares y analgésicos de la acupuntura. 26,27 La mezcla de la teoría de la compuerta con los componentes neuro-moduladores, plantean que si la téc-nica acupuntural es correcta, se dispara el bloqueo del dolor original por acción de la contracorriente, que activa la fibra nerviosa gruesa que origina la estimulación de receptores específicos de la hipófisis y en otros niveles cerebrales e inhibidas las fibras delgadas origina, entre otros, la liberación de endorfinas y demás acción neuroquímica. 25 Otra inquietud es cómo la acupuntura tiene efecto, a largo plazo, mucho mejor que la terapia convencional y por qué, si se suprime el tratamiento de acupuntura el efecto positivo persiste en el tiempo; 28 esto se explica si la acupuntura produce una compleja estimulación somato-sensorial, que puede modular el estado de reposo de la red neuronal, post estimulación a la terapia, incluido especialmente zonas cerebrales, antinocioceptivas, afectivas y de memoria que pueden persistir aún cuando el estímulo ya no exista.…”