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- Title
A study of acupuncture in Asian patients: clinical aspects and effects on cortical excitability.
- Authors
Lo YL; Cui SL; Lum SY; Chong SF; Siow HC
- Abstract
Objective To determine the effect of acupuncture on the phosphene threshold, by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), and the clinical effect of acupuncture on headache frequency, duration and severity. Methods Twenty-one patients (16 women; mean age 46 years; range 23-61 years, 17 Chinese, 2 Malays, 2 Indians) underwent 10 acupuncture sessions scheduled twice a week for 5 weeks. The lowest TMS intensity to elicit phosphene perception is defined as the phosphene threshold. TMS was performed before the first and last sessions, and at 2 months' follow-up. Results Acupuncture resulted in reduction of headache frequency, duration and severity over the course of treatment. However, this was not accompanied by a corresponding increase in the phosphene threshold over a similar time course. The baseline threshold before acupuncture treatment had no predictive value for outcome of treatment. Conclusions Although acupuncture was effective in treating migraine, the use of occipital cortex excitability as an adjunctive parameter to evaluate treatment response was not suitable. The relief of migraine with acupuncture may be related to separate neural pathways independent of occipital or visual processes in the human brain.
- Subjects
ACUPUNCTURE research; TRANSCRANIAL magnetic stimulation; ALTERNATIVE treatment for migraines; HEADACHE treatment; PHOSPHENES; CEREBRAL cortex
- Publication
Acupuncture in Medicine, 2010, Vol 28, Issue 2, p74
- ISSN
0964-5284
- Publication type
Journal Article
- DOI
10.1136/aim.2009.002055