ACUPUNCTURE PROMOTES RELAXATION BY ACTIVATING THE BRAIN’S LEFT PREFRONTAL CORTEX

A Japanese study suggests that acupuncture changes the balance of activity in the prefrontal cortex of the brain toward left-dominant activity, resulting in anxiolytic relaxation effects.

Ten patients with diagnosed anxiety disorders were involved in the study.

Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) researchers measured oxy-haemoglobin concentrations, which reflect changes in blood flow, and therefore brain activity, in the bilateral prefrontal cortex before and after acupuncture treatment. The NIRS measurements showed that the balance of prefrontal cortex activity at rest changed toward the left side in seven out ten subjects.

These results positively correlated with changes in state anxiety. The treatment was found to significantly decrease state anxiety, although not trait anxiety.

These results are consistent with previously reported lateralisation of emotion with the right hemisphere found to be dominant for negative emotions and the left hemisphere dominant for positive emotions.

Acupuncture points were selected based upon traditional Chinese medicine diagnosis and varied between patients. This is a list of the total acupuncture points needled:

Du23, Du9, Du14, Du20, Du4, Bladder 7, Bladder 17, Bladder 18, Bladder 20, San Jiao 5, Gall Bladder 41, Pericardium 6, and Spleen 4

Effects of Acupuncture on Anxiety Levels and Prefrontal Cortex Activity Measured by Near-Infrared Spectroscopy: A Pilot Study. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2016;876:297-302

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26782225