The concept of the ‘neural acupuncture unit’ (NAU) has been put forward by an international team of authors as a new way of interpreting the effects and mechanisms of acupuncture. The NAU is a hypothetical concept that represents the collection of local neural and neuroactive components distributed in the skin, muscle and connective tissues that are activated by an acupuncture needle when it is inserted and stimulated by mechanical or electrical means. The authors propose that traditionally defined acupuncture points are anatomical landmarks that indicate sites where NAUs contain relatively dense concentrations of neural and neuroactive components. Acupuncture stimulation at these points would therefore elicit a more efficient physiological and therapeutic response compared with non-acupoints. (Neural acupuncture unit: a new concept for interpreting effects and mechanisms of acupuncture. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2012;2012:429412. Epub 2012 Mar 8).
Categories: Acupuncture research
