RESUMEN
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the correlation relationship between acupuncture at Dicang (ST 4), Hegu (LI 4) and Houxi (SI 3) on the affected side of peripheral facial paralysis patients and activated areas in brain functional areas and central regulation mechanism of acupuncture at Hegu (LI 4) treatment.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Eighteen cases with left peripheral facial paralysis were randomly divided into a Hegu group, a Dicang group and a Houxi group, 6 cases in each group. They were treated with electroacupuncture at left Dicang (ST 4), Hegu (LI 4) and Houxi (SI 3), respectively, and were examined with fMRI covering the whole brain at the same time. The fMRI data was analyzed by SPM software.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>It was found that the left precentral gyrus area and the left postcentral gyrus area were activated when electroacupuncture at left Hegu (LI 4), and the right precentral gyrus area and the bilateral postcentral gyrus area were activated when electroacupuncture at left Dicang (ST 4), and there was no activated area at precentral gyrus area and post central gyrus area when electroacupuncture at left Houxi (SI 3).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The sensory importation information from Hegu (LI 4) and Dicang (ST 4) can converge and coincide in the brain and may influence each other.</p>