Researchers from Hong Kong suggest that electro-acupuncture can alter the activation of neural pathways for pain perception in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients, who are characterised by abnormal brain activation in response to pain signals from the gut. Thirty IBS-diarrhoea patients were randomised to true electro-acupuncture (TA) or sham acupuncture (SA) at Zusanli ST-36 ,Shangjuxu ST-37 and Sanyinjiao SP-6. Functional MRI (fMRI) was performed to evaluate brain activation while patients underwent rectal distension (RD), before, during and after acupuncture or sham. The results showed significant fMRI differences between the TA and SA groups, which the authors suggest reflect the interaction in the central nervous system between the sensation evoked by acupuncture and the noxious sensation evoked by RD. They postulate that the effect of acupuncture on pain involves modulation of the serotonin pathway at the insula and modulation of mood and affect in higher cortical centres. (Does acupuncture therapy alter activation of neural pathway for pain perception in irritable bowel syndrome?: a comparative study of true and sham acupuncture using functional magnetic resonance imaging. J Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2012 Jul;18(3):305-16).
In an experimental study, American scientists have found that acupuncture at Zusanli ST-36 was able to improve upper and lower abdominal symptoms and impaired gastric peristalsis induced by rectal distention (RD), possibly mediated via the vagal nerve pathway. In a study involving 20 healthy volunteers acupuncture, but not sham-acupuncture or no-acupuncture, reduced both upper and lower abdominal symptoms which had been induced by RD. While RD was found to decrease the percentage of normal gastric slow waves, acupuncture performed during RD improved gastric slow waves. In addition, vagal activity during RD plus acupuncture was significantly higher than that during RD alone. Neither sham-acupuncture nor no-acupuncture showed any effects on vagal activity. (Effects and possible mechanisms of acupuncture at ST36 on upper and lower abdominal symptoms induced by rectal distension in healthy volunteers. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2012 Jul;303(2):R209-17).
Categories: Digestive Bowel disorders
