Acupuncture Activates Neural Responses in Parkinson’s

Last Updated: September 11, 2012

	Stimulation on GB34 activates responses in brain regions linked with Parkinson's disease

Patients with Parkinson's disease may benefit from acupuncture treatment on acupoint GB34, with improved neural response noted after acupuncture stimulation, according to a study published in the September issue of CNS Neurosciences & Therapeutics.
 
TUESDAY, Sept. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with Parkinson's disease may benefit from acupuncture treatment on acupoint GB34, with improved neural response noted after acupuncture stimulation, according to a study published in the September issue of CNS Neurosciences & Therapeutics.

Noting that many studies have reported an association between acupuncture treatment on GB34 (Yanglingquan) and improvements in Parkinson's disease, Sujung Yeo, from Kyung Hee University in Seoul, Korea, and colleagues used functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine the association.
Neural responses were examined before and after acupuncture stimulation in 12 patients with Parkinson's disease and 12 healthy controls.

The researchers found that acupuncture stimulation correlated with increased neural responses in regions typically impaired by Parkinson's disease, including the substantia nigra, caudate, thalamus, and putamen.

"Although future randomized controlled trials of neural response increases in these areas are needed to confirm acupuncture's role in improving symptoms of Parkinson's disease, the results of this study support the hypothesis that acupuncture stimulations on GB34 modulate the resting state of areas associated with Parkinson's disease," the authors write. "We believe that our study holds importance for future clinical and acupuncture studies in patients with neurodegenerative diseases, especially Parkinson's disease.

http://www.doctorslounge.com/index.php/news/pb/31955