Acupuncture at the Taixi Acupoint Activates Cerebral Neurons

Previous studies have demonstrated that acupuncture at the Taixi (KI3) acupoint in healthy youths can activate neurons in cognitive-related cerebral cortex.

In a perspective article released in the Neural Regeneration Research (Vol. 9, No. 11, 2014), Dr. Shangjie Chen and co-workers at Baoan Hospital, Southern Medical University, China investigated whether acupuncture at this acupoint in elderly patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) can also activate neurons in these regions.

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Researchers revealed that under resting state and task-related functional magnetic resonance imaging, 20 brain regions were activated in elderly patients with MCI after acupuncture at the Taixi acupoint, including the bi-lateral anterior cingulate gyrus (Brodmann areas [BA] 32, 24), left medial frontal cortex (BA 9, 10, 11), left cuneus (BA 19), left middle frontal gyrus (BA 11), left lingual gyrus (BA 18), right medial frontal gyrus (BA 11), bilateral inferior frontal gyrus (BA 47), left superior frontal gyrus (BA11), right cuneus (BA 19, 18), right superior temporal gyrus (BA 38), left subcallosal gyrus (BA 47), bilateral precuneus (BA 19), right medial frontal gyrus (BA 10), right superior frontal (BA 11), left cingulate gyrus (BA 32), left precentral gyrus (BA 6), and right fusiform gyrus (BA 19).

Source-Eurekalert

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