Figure 1.
Locations of active acupoints and inactive acupoints.
The active acupoints were located as follows: SJ5, on the dorsal aspect of the forearm on the line connecting SJ4 and the tip of the elbow, 2 cun above the transverse crease of the wrist between the ulna and radius; GB20, in a depression between the upper portion of the sternocleidomastoid muscle and the trapezius; GB34, on the lateral aspect of the lower leg in the depression anterior and inferior to the head of the fibula; GB40, anterior and inferior to the external malleolus in a depression on the lateral side of the tendon of the extensor digitorum longus. The inactive acupoints were located as follows: SJ22, on the side of the head on the posterior border of the hairline of the temple at the level with the root of the auricle, posterior to the superficial temporal artery; PC7, in the middle of the transverse crease of the wrist between the tendons of the palmaris longus and flexor carpi radialis; GB37, on the lateral aspect of the lower leg 5 cun above the tip of the external malleolus on the anterior border of the fibula; SP3, proximal and inferior to the head of the 1st metatarsal-phalangeal joint in a depression at the junction of the red and white skin.
Figure 2.
The flow chart of this study according to the CONSORT Statement.
Table 1.
Baseline and demographics for migraine patients without aura (ITT).
Table 2.
Baseline characteristics of 40 migraineurs who participated in the fMRI scan.
Figure 3.
Brain activity in migraineurs without aura after different acupuncture treatment.
Long-term active acupoint therapy elicited a more extensive and remarkable cerebral response compared with acupuncture at inactive acupoints.
Table 3.
The cerebral ReHo changes in migraine patients without aura after active or inactive acupuncture treatment.
Figure 4.
Direct comparison of the ReHo changes between the active and inactive group.
The active acupoint group showed higher ReHo in the thalamus, ACC, superior temporal gyrus, SMA and lower ReHo in the hippocampus, middle frontal gyrus, and middle temporal cortex than the inactive group (P<0.001, uncorrected).
Table 4.
Clinical outcome measures in each group (ITT).
Table 5.
Comparison of de-qi sensations during treatment period (ITT).
Figure 5.
Correlation coefficients of brain response and VAS score.
A. Active acupoint group; B. Inactive acupoint group. The decrease in the VAS score was significantly related to the increased average ReHo values in the ACC in the two groups (P<0.05, Bonferroni corrected). Moreover, the decrease in the VAS score was associated with increased average ReHo values in the insula (P<0.05, Bonferroni corrected) which could be detected in the active acupoint group.