Acupuncture Modulation of Chronic Neuropathic Pain and Its Association With Brain Functional Properties

Xiao-Ya Wei; Xu Wang; Guang-Xia Shi; Jian-Feng Tu; Jing-Wen Yang; Meng-Meng Ren; Jun-Lian Liu; Chih-Kai Lee; Hang Zhou; Ze-Yi Wang; Cun-Zhi Liu

doi:10.1016/j.jpain.2024.104645

Acupuncture Modulation of Chronic Neuropathic Pain and Its Association With Brain Functional Properties

J Pain. 2024 Jul 30:104645. doi: 10.1016/j.jpain.2024.104645. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ School of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina, International Acupuncture and Moxibustion Innovation Institute, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China.
² School of Life Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China.
³ Department of Radiology, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
⁴ School of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina, International Acupuncture and Moxibustion Innovation Institute, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China. Electronic address: lcz623780@126.com.

PMID: 39089662
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpain.2024.104645

Abstract

Chronic neuropathic pain has been one of the prominent causes of disability, and acupuncture has shown promise in treatment. The present study aimed to characterize acupuncture modulation of chronic neuropathic pain and explore the related functional brain changes. Sixty chronic sciatica patients were divided into acupuncture- or sham acupuncture groups and received 10 sessions of treatment during 4 weeks. The visual analog scale for leg pain, oswestry disability index (ODI), and resting-state functional magnetic resonance images were assessed at baseline and after treatment. Then, fractional amplitudes of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF) and support vector regression analyses were performed. Compared with sham acupuncture, acupuncture significantly improved symptoms, including visual analog scale for leg pain and ODI. In addition, acupuncture exhibited increased fALFF of the right superior parietal lobule (SPL) and right postcentral gyrus. Furthermore, the actual 4-week ODI values were positively correlated with the support vector regression-predicted values based on the right SPL fALFF and baseline clinical measurements. These results indicate that the spontaneous neural activity of the right SPL and right postcentral gyrus may be involved in the modulation of acupuncture in chronic neuropathic pain. In addition, the spontaneous neural activity of the right SPL might be used as the predictor of response to acupuncture therapy. PERSPECTIVE: This clinical neuroimaging study elucidated the neural basis of acupuncture in chronic sciatica. Neurological indicators and clinical measurements could be used as potential predictors of acupuncture response. This study combines neuroimaging and artificial intelligence techniques to highlight the potential of acupuncture for the treatment of chronic neuropathic pain. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR2100044585, http://www.chictr.org.cn.

Keywords: Acupuncture,neuropathic pain,chronic sciatica,fractional amplitudes of low-frequency fluctuations,support vector regression.