Application of Brain Network Analysis to the Study of Acupuncture Effect / 上海针灸杂志

ABSTRACT

Acupuncture therapy is a therapeutic method in traditional Chinese medicine. Its clinical efficacy has widely accepted internationally but its mechanism of action is still unclear. In recent years, more and more researchers began to use brain network analysis to explore the mechanism of action of acupuncture. This article reviews the significance of brain network analysis in the study of acupuncture effect, that is, brain network analysis can effectively assess changes in cerebral function in chronic pain and observe the real therapeutic effect of acupuncture. It also reviews various methods of brain network analysis, including brain functional connectivity (FC) analysis, amplitude of low frequency fluctuations (ALFF) analysis, regional homogeneity (ReHo) analysis, small-world network (SWN) analysis, positron emission computed tomography (PET) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI); the shortcomings and prospects of brain network analysis in the application of acupuncture. A summary of the newest research advances in the application of brain network analysis to the study of acupuncture effect provides a certain reference for the future scientific study.