Abstract
Although acupuncture is an effective therapeutic intervention for pain reduction, the exact difference between real and sham acupuncture has not been clearly understood because a somatosensory tactile component is commonly included in the existing sham acupuncture protocols. In an event-related fMRI experiment, we implemented a novel form of sham acupuncture, phantom acupuncture, that reproduces the acupuncture needling procedure without somatosensory tactile stimulation while maintaining the credibility of the acupuncture treatment context. Fifty-six non-specific low back pain patients received either real (REAL) or phantom (PHNT) acupuncture stimulation in a parallel group study. The REAL group exhibited greater activation in the posterior insula and anterior cingulate cortex, reflecting the needling-specific components of acupuncture. We demonstrated that PHNT could be delivered credibly. Interestingly, the PHNT-credible group exhibited bilateral activation in SI/SII and also reported vicarious acupuncture sensations without needling stimulation. The PHNT group showed greater activation in the bilateral dorsolateral/ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC/vlPFC). Moreover, the PHNT group exhibited significant pain reduction, with a significant correlation between the subjective fMRI signal in the right dlPFC/vlPFC and a score assessing belief in acupuncture effectiveness. These results support an expectation-related placebo analgesic effect on subjective pain intensity ratings, possibly mediated by right prefrontal cortex activity.
Highlights
Credibility, and an attentional shift component resulting from visual/somatosensory stimulation[6]
Phantom acupuncture is a novel form of sham acupuncture that can induce needling credibility without tactile somatosensory afference
In our previous study[6], we demonstrated that the needling specific component induces sympathetic activation, whereas the needling non-specific components result in increased parasympathetic activation, such as decreased heart rate and decreased pupil size, as well as decreased skin conductance response after acupuncture needling
Summary
Credibility, and an attentional shift component resulting from visual/somatosensory stimulation[6]. To investigate the correlation between brain responses to acupuncture stimulation (REAL and PHNT) and outcome measures (e.g., acupuncture efficacy expectation scores, MASS Index, ΔVAS), and ANS metrics (e.g., HR, SCR), we performed analysis of covariance (ANCOVA, FSL-FEAT, cluster-corrected for multiple comparisons, Z = 2.3, p < 0.05).
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