Multi‐Spatial Voxel‐Scale Modulation of Acupuncture on Abnormal Brain Activity in Migraine Patients Without Aura: A Randomized Study Neuroimaging Trial

ABSTRACT Background The role of acupuncture in treating migraine has been widely recognized, but the systematic, comprehensive and, multi‐spatial voxel‐scale mechanism of brain function changes is still unclear. Objective Resting‐state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs‐fMRI) was used to inve...

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Main Authors: Chaorong Xie, Zhiyang Zhang, Yutong Zhang, Xixiu Ni, Yang Yu, Xiaoyu Gao, Mingsheng Sun, Xiao Wang, Ling Zhao
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2025-05-01
Series:Brain and Behavior
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/brb3.70536
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author Chaorong Xie
Zhiyang Zhang
Yutong Zhang
Xixiu Ni
Yang Yu
Xiaoyu Gao
Mingsheng Sun
Xiao Wang
Ling Zhao
author_facet Chaorong Xie
Zhiyang Zhang
Yutong Zhang
Xixiu Ni
Yang Yu
Xiaoyu Gao
Mingsheng Sun
Xiao Wang
Ling Zhao
author_sort Chaorong Xie
collection DOAJ
description ABSTRACT Background The role of acupuncture in treating migraine has been widely recognized, but the systematic, comprehensive and, multi‐spatial voxel‐scale mechanism of brain function changes is still unclear. Objective Resting‐state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs‐fMRI) was used to investigate the modulatory effect of acupuncture on brain activity in patients with migraine without aura (MwoA) at different spatial voxel scales. Methods A total of 64 patients with MwoA were randomized into true acupuncture (TA) and sham acupuncture (SA) groups. MwoA patients received TA or SA three times a week for four weeks, a total of 12 sessions. A clinical symptoms assessment and rs‐fMRI scans were evaluated before and after four weeks of treatment. Amplitude of low frequency fluctuation (ALFF) and fractional ALFF (fALFF), regional homogeneity (ReHo), and degree centrality (DC) were used to evaluate the spontaneous activity, activity coherence and connectivity importance of brain function at the single voxel, local voxel, and global voxel scales, respectively. Results The clinical symptoms of both groups were improved compared with baseline. There were significant differences between the TA group and the SA group in migraine frequency, days and pain intensity. The neuroimaging data suggest that TA modulates a broader and more significant brain neural activity than SA. TA modulates the neural activity of the default mode network (DMN), visual network (VN), and sensorimotor network (SMN) at the single voxel scale, local voxel scale and global voxel scale, and these changes are correlated with the improvement of the migraine and quality of life. Conclusions TA could exert therapeutic effects at different spatial voxel scales by modulating the DMN, VN, and SMN, which may be the neuroimaging mechanism of acupuncture for MwoA.
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spelling doaj-art-de36b6ae3e924ec2bc85a4a095e0b8332025-08-20T03:48:26ZengWileyBrain and Behavior2162-32792025-05-01155n/an/a10.1002/brb3.70536Multi‐Spatial Voxel‐Scale Modulation of Acupuncture on Abnormal Brain Activity in Migraine Patients Without Aura: A Randomized Study Neuroimaging TrialChaorong Xie0Zhiyang Zhang1Yutong Zhang2Xixiu Ni3Yang Yu4Xiaoyu Gao5Mingsheng Sun6Xiao Wang7Ling Zhao8The Acupuncture and Tuina SchoolChengdu University of Traditional Chinese MedicineChengduSichuanChinaThe Acupuncture and Tuina SchoolChengdu University of Traditional Chinese MedicineChengduSichuanChinaThe Third people's hospital of ChengduChengduSichuanChinaThe Acupuncture and Tuina SchoolChengdu University of Traditional Chinese MedicineChengduSichuanChinaThe Acupuncture and Tuina SchoolChengdu University of Traditional Chinese MedicineChengduSichuanChinaThe Acupuncture and Tuina SchoolChengdu University of Traditional Chinese MedicineChengduSichuanChinaThe Acupuncture and Tuina SchoolChengdu University of Traditional Chinese MedicineChengduSichuanChinaThe Acupuncture and Tuina SchoolChengdu University of Traditional Chinese MedicineChengduSichuanChinaThe Acupuncture and Tuina SchoolChengdu University of Traditional Chinese MedicineChengduSichuanChinaABSTRACT Background The role of acupuncture in treating migraine has been widely recognized, but the systematic, comprehensive and, multi‐spatial voxel‐scale mechanism of brain function changes is still unclear. Objective Resting‐state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs‐fMRI) was used to investigate the modulatory effect of acupuncture on brain activity in patients with migraine without aura (MwoA) at different spatial voxel scales. Methods A total of 64 patients with MwoA were randomized into true acupuncture (TA) and sham acupuncture (SA) groups. MwoA patients received TA or SA three times a week for four weeks, a total of 12 sessions. A clinical symptoms assessment and rs‐fMRI scans were evaluated before and after four weeks of treatment. Amplitude of low frequency fluctuation (ALFF) and fractional ALFF (fALFF), regional homogeneity (ReHo), and degree centrality (DC) were used to evaluate the spontaneous activity, activity coherence and connectivity importance of brain function at the single voxel, local voxel, and global voxel scales, respectively. Results The clinical symptoms of both groups were improved compared with baseline. There were significant differences between the TA group and the SA group in migraine frequency, days and pain intensity. The neuroimaging data suggest that TA modulates a broader and more significant brain neural activity than SA. TA modulates the neural activity of the default mode network (DMN), visual network (VN), and sensorimotor network (SMN) at the single voxel scale, local voxel scale and global voxel scale, and these changes are correlated with the improvement of the migraine and quality of life. Conclusions TA could exert therapeutic effects at different spatial voxel scales by modulating the DMN, VN, and SMN, which may be the neuroimaging mechanism of acupuncture for MwoA.https://doi.org/10.1002/brb3.70536acupuncturebrain activitymulti‐spatial voxel‐scaleMwoA
spellingShingle Chaorong Xie
Zhiyang Zhang
Yutong Zhang
Xixiu Ni
Yang Yu
Xiaoyu Gao
Mingsheng Sun
Xiao Wang
Ling Zhao
Multi‐Spatial Voxel‐Scale Modulation of Acupuncture on Abnormal Brain Activity in Migraine Patients Without Aura: A Randomized Study Neuroimaging Trial
Brain and Behavior
acupuncture
brain activity
multi‐spatial voxel‐scale
MwoA
title Multi‐Spatial Voxel‐Scale Modulation of Acupuncture on Abnormal Brain Activity in Migraine Patients Without Aura: A Randomized Study Neuroimaging Trial
title_full Multi‐Spatial Voxel‐Scale Modulation of Acupuncture on Abnormal Brain Activity in Migraine Patients Without Aura: A Randomized Study Neuroimaging Trial
title_fullStr Multi‐Spatial Voxel‐Scale Modulation of Acupuncture on Abnormal Brain Activity in Migraine Patients Without Aura: A Randomized Study Neuroimaging Trial
title_full_unstemmed Multi‐Spatial Voxel‐Scale Modulation of Acupuncture on Abnormal Brain Activity in Migraine Patients Without Aura: A Randomized Study Neuroimaging Trial
title_short Multi‐Spatial Voxel‐Scale Modulation of Acupuncture on Abnormal Brain Activity in Migraine Patients Without Aura: A Randomized Study Neuroimaging Trial
title_sort multi spatial voxel scale modulation of acupuncture on abnormal brain activity in migraine patients without aura a randomized study neuroimaging trial
topic acupuncture
brain activity
multi‐spatial voxel‐scale
MwoA
url https://doi.org/10.1002/brb3.70536
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