CHICAGO, Nov. 30 (UPI) -- A German researcher says functional magnetic resonance imaging shows acupuncture changes the way the brain processes pain.
Dr. Nina Theysohn of the University Hospital in Essen, Germany, and colleagues asked 18 healthy volunteers to undergo functional magnetic resonance imaging while an electrical pain stimulus was attached to the left ankle. Acupuncture needles were then placed at three places on the right side and imaging repeated while electrical currents were again directed at the left ankle.
"Functional MRI gives us the opportunity to directly observe areas of the brain that are activated during pain perception and see the variances that occur with acupuncture," Theysohn says in a statement. "Activation of brain areas involved in pain perception was significantly reduced or modulated under acupuncture."
In addition, acupuncture affected activation of brain areas governing the patients' expectations of pain -- in a way similar to a placebo analgesic response.
"Our findings support that both these non-specific and specific mechanisms exist, suggesting that acupuncture can help relieve pain," Theysohn says.
The study was presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America in Chicago.
