Exploration of the specific effect of acupuncture on the buccal muscle at the Hegu point based on motor evoked potentials
10.3969/j.issn.1001-1242.2025.10.006
- VernacularTitle:基于运动诱发电位探讨针刺合谷穴对颊肌特异性作用的研究
- Author:
Yao FAN
1
;
Chen XU
;
Jing MI
Author Information
1. 陕西中医药大学针灸推拿学院,陕西省 咸阳市,712046
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
transcranial magnetic stimulation;
motor evoked potentials;
acupuncture;
Hegu(LI4);
Quchi(LI11);
point specificity;
electroacupuncture
- From:
Chinese Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine
2025;40(10):1490-1496
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective:To explore the mechanism of Hegu(LI4)point's effect on facial nerve from the perspective of modern medicine.Additionally,it seeks to investigate the specificity of LI4 effect on the face in comparison with other points,providing guidance for the clinical practice of acupuncture.Method:Twenty healthy subjects were enrolled in a crossover design(homozygous self before and after con-trol).The volunteers were randomly assigned to the LI4 group and the Quchi(LI11)group,with a two-week interval between the two groups was used as the washout period.The motor evoked potentials(MEPs)of the facial buccal muscles were compared before and after acupuncture in the LI4 and LI11 groups under various in-tensities of transcranial magnetic stimulation(TMS).The latency and amplitude of MEPs were measured at each intensity of TMS.At the end of the first trial,all volunteers entered the second trial after a two-week in-terval,with the grouping method of the second trial being the same as that of the first trial.The amplitude and latency of buccal muscle MEPs were recorded at eight time points(before needling,needling,leaving the needle in place for 3 minutes,electro-acupuncture,3 minutes after electro-acupuncture,switching off electro-acu-puncture,3 minutes after switching off electro-acupuncture and pulling out the needle)at a stimulation intensity.Result:The amplitude of buccal muscle MEPs increased significantly and the latency decreased significantly before and after the intervention in the LI4 and LI11 groups under TMS intensity of 1％to 25％.The differ-ence was statistically significant(P<0.001),and the rate of change in the amplitude of buccal muscle MEPs in the LI4 and the rate of change in the amplitude of buccal muscle MEPs in the LI4 group was significantly higher than that in the LI11 group(P<0.01).In test 2,the amplitude of buccal muscle MEPs in the LI4 group was lower than that in the LI11 group before acupuncture(P<0.01).The amplitude of buccal muscle MEPs was higher than that in the LI11group after electro-acupuncture,electro-acupuncture for 3 minutes,switching off electro-acupuncture,and switching off electro-acupuncture for 3 minutes(P<0.05).The latency of buccal muscle MEPs was lower than that of the LI4 group in the LI11group before,after,electro-acupunc-ture,electro-acupuncture,electro-acupuncture for 3 minutes,and switching off electro-acupuncture(P<0.05).There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in other intervention phases(P>0.05).Conclusion:In the physiological state,needling both Hegu and Quchi increased buccal muscle excitability,and Hegu acupoints were more specific for increasing buccal muscle excitability compared with Quchi acu-points.
