Trial reportAcupuncture in medicine : journal of the British Medical Acupuncture Society2013
Differential brain effects of laser and needle acupuncture at LR8 using functional MRI.
Trial report in Acupuncture in medicine : journal of the British Medical Acupuncture Society, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06535594 (The Potential Efficacy Of Laser Acupuncture Combined With Physiotherapy In Managing Pain And Improve The Elbow Active Range Of Motions Improve The Elbow Active Range Of Motion In 30 Tennis Elbow Syndrome Patients), which is not on this map. Cited by 19 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
The Potential Efficacy Of Laser Acupuncture Combined With Physiotherapy In Managing Pain And Improve The Elbow Active Range Of Motions Improve The Elbow Active Range Of Motion In 30 Tennis Elbow Syndrome Patients: A Pre - Post Trial
Who cites it
19 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 41 citations in OpenAlex.
- Acupuncture for neonatal abstinence syndrome in newborn infants.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2025Pooled it
- A systematic review: enhancing stroke recovery through complementary interventions-Clinical outcomes and neural activity insights.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2024Pooled it
- Effects of electro-acupuncture at Tongli (HT 5) and Xuanzhong (GB 39) acupoints from functional magnetic resonance imaging evidence.Chinese journal of integrative medicine · 2016Trial
- Blockade of the brachial plexus abolishes activation of specific brain regions by electroacupuncture at LI4: a functional MRI study.Acupuncture in medicine : journal of the British Medical Acupuncture Society · 2015Trial
- Efficacy of Laser Therapy on Paralysis and Disability in Patients with Facial Palsy: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- History of Laser Acupuncture: A Narrative Review of Scientific Literature.Medical acupuncture · 2020Review
- The Safety of Laser Acupuncture: A Systematic Review.Medical acupuncture · 2020Review
- Functional MRI Investigation of Ultrasound Stimulation at ST 36.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2020Article
- Acupuncture and Laser Acupuncture as Treatments for Emotional Distress in Infertile Women in Japan.Medical acupuncture · 2019Article
- Laser Acupuncture: A Concise Review.Medical acupuncture · 2019Review
- Definition of Laser Acupuncture and All Kinds of Photo Acupuncture.Medicines (Basel, Switzerland) · 2018Article
- Photobiomodulation and the brain: a new paradigm.Journal of optics (2010) · 2017Article
- The Effects of Acupuncture Stimulation for Brain Activation and Alcohol Abstinence Self-Efficacy: Functional MRI Study.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2017Article
- Shining light on the head: Photobiomodulation for brain disorders.BBA clinical · 2016Review
- Risk of epilepsy in stroke patients receiving acupuncture treatment: a nationwide retrospective matched-cohort study.BMJ open · 2016Article
- Anti-inflammatory effect of laser acupuncture in ST36 (Zusanli) acupoint in mouse paw edema.Lasers in medical science · 2016Article
- The Status of the Quality Control in Acupuncture-Neuroimaging Studies.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2016Review
- Modern acupuncture-like stimulation methods: a literature review.Integrative medicine research · 2015Review
- The holistic effects of acupuncture treatment.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2014Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveWhile needle acupuncture is a well-accepted technique, laser acupuncture is being increasingly used in clinical practice. The differential effects of the two techniques are of interest. We examine this in relation to brain effects of activation of LR8, a putative acupuncture point for depression, using functional MRI (fMRI).
methodsSixteen healthy participants were randomised to receive low intensity laser acupuncture to LR8 on one side and needle acupuncture to the contralateral LR8. Stimulation was in an on-off block design and brain patterns were recorded under fMRI.
resultsSignificant activation occurred in the left precuneus during laser acupuncture compared with needle acupuncture and significant activation occurred in the left precentral gyrus during needle acupuncture compared with laser acupuncture.
conclusionsLaser and needle acupuncture at LR8 in healthy participants produced different brain patterns. Laser acupuncture activated the precuneus relevant to mood in the posterior default mode network while needle acupuncture activated the parietal cortical region associated with the primary motor cortex. Further investigations are warranted to evaluate the clinical relevance of these effects.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.