fMRI study found scalp acupuncture targets for chronic pain and comorbid disorders

An research team from Harvard Medical School, USA tested 119 healthy participants and found that:

• medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), corresponding to the acupoints EX-HN3 (Yintang) / BL2 (Cuanzhu), is functionally and anatomically connected to all three subcortical regions
• precuneus, corresponding to the acupoints GV19 (Houding) / GV20 (Baihui)
• MS12 scalp acupuncture line, is connected to the hippocampus and amygdala.

The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is a crucial cortical region that integrates information from numerous cortical and subcortical areas and converges updated information to output structures. It plays essential roles in the cognitive process, regulation of emotion, motivation, and sociability. Dysfunction of the mPFC has been found in various neurological and psychiatric disorders, such as depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorders, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and addiction. In the present review, we summarize the preclinical and clinical studies to illustrate the role of the mPFC in these neurological diseases.

Xu et al.Medial prefrontal cortex in neurological diseases. Physiol Genomics. 2019 Sep 1; 51(9): 432–442.

The precuneus is a brain region involved in a variety of complex functions,100 which include recollection and memory, integration of information (gestalt) relating to perception of the environment, cue reactivity, mental imagery strategies, episodic memory retrieval, and affective responses to pain.

From: Neurobiology of Brain Disorders (Second Edition), 2023

These findings suggest that the mPFC and precuneus, two key hubs of the default mode network (DMN), and other cortical areas distributed at the prefrontal, parietal, and temporal cortices may hold potential as novel targets for scalp acupuncture in the treatment of chronic pain and its comorbidities.

These identified locations may also be used for the treatment of psychiatric and neurological disorders, such as anxiety, depression, insomnia, and cognitive decline, in which the three corresponding deep brain structures play a crucial role.

Read the full article

Kong, Qiao et al. “Identifying Potential Scalp Acupuncture Targets for Chronic Pain and Comorbid Disorders Using Functional and Anatomical Connectivity of Critical Deep Brain Structures.” Brain Behavior and Immunity Integrative (2024): n. pag. Open access under

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