York Clinic
Acupuncture works by deactivating the area of the brain governing pain
Date: 24th January 2006
Acupuncture and brain research 1
In the first of three BBC Two programmes on complementary medicine entitled "Alternative Medicine: The Evidence", York Clinic's Hugh MacPherson's research based at the University of York showed the use of brain scans on people having acupuncture. Volunteers were subjected to a normal style of needling at a well-known acupuncture point on the back of the hand. A control group underwent needling with needles inserted very superficially.
The needles were then stimulated until the participants feel a dull, achy or tingling sensation. During these two procedures, the volunteers underwent brain scans to see what, if any, effect there was in the brain. The team, including leading scientists from University College London, Southampton University and the University of York, found the superficial needling resulted in activation of the motor areas of the cortex, a normal reaction to pain. But with deep needling, the limbic system, which is part of the pain matrix, was deactivated. The finding was surprising because experts had always assumed that acupuncture primarily activates the brain in some way.
Professor Sykes said: "The pain matrix is involved in the perception of pain - it helps someone decide whether something is painful or not, so it could be that acupuncture in some ways changes a person's pain perception. We have found something quite unexpected - that acupuncture is having a measurable effect on the human brain. We are not suggesting that it should be used during surgery, although it is in China, but just that it acts as a pain relief and should be taken seriously."
Professor Tony Wildsmith, a pain relief expert at the University of Dundee, said he thought the findings were possible. But he added: "The thing about acupuncture is that it does not work on everyone. It is more likely to be effective if you believe it. I think it is a psychological manipulation technique, a distraction. We are not going to get to the stage where this could be used instead of a general anaesthetic."
More information is available on the website of the Foundation for Research into Traditional Chinese Medicine.