ArticleNeural regeneration research2012
Acupuncture inhibits cue-induced heroin craving and brain activation.
Article in Neural regeneration research, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Evaluating comparative effect of non-pharmacological interventions adjunctive to opioid agonist therapy for opioid use disorder: A systematic review with network meta-analysis.Addiction (Abingdon, England) · 2026Pooled it
- Efficacy of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation combined with diazepam for acute alcohol withdrawal syndrome: A double-blind randomized sham-controlled trial.The Journal of international medical research · 2020Trial
- Efficacy of acupuncture for patients with moderate to severe tobacco dependence: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2026Article
- Effects of acupuncture stimulation on brain activation induced by cue-elicited alcohol craving.Neural regeneration research · 2022Article
- Laser meridian massage decreased craving in men with opioid use disorder on methadone maintenance treatment.Biomedical journal · 2022Article
- Effect of acupuncture for methadone maintenance treatment patients: study protocol of a randomized clinical trial.Trials · 2020Article
- Acupuncture on the Stress-Related Drug Relapse to Seeking.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2018Review
- Acupuncture therapy for drug addiction.Chinese medicine · 2016Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Previous research using functional MRI has shown that specific brain regions associated with drug dependence and cue-elicited heroin craving are activated by environmental cues. Craving is an important trigger of heroin relapse, and acupuncture may inhibit craving. In this study, we performed functional MRI in heroin addicts and control subjects. We compared differences in brain activation between the two groups during heroin cue exposure, heroin cue exposure plus acupuncture at the Zusanli point (ST36) without twirling of the needle, and heroin cue exposure plus acupuncture at the Zusanli point with twirling of the needle. Heroin cue exposure elicited significant activation in craving-related brain regions mainly in the frontal lobes and callosal gyri. Acupuncture without twirling did not significantly affect the range of brain activation induced by heroin cue exposure, but significantly changed the extent of the activation in the heroin addicts group. Acupuncture at the Zusanli point with twirling of the needle significantly decreased both the range and extent of activation induced by heroin cue exposure compared with heroin cue exposure plus acupuncture without twirling of the needle. These experimental findings indicate that presentation of heroin cues can induce activation in craving-related brain regions, which are involved in reward, learning and memory, cognition and emotion. Acupuncture at the Zusanli point can rapidly suppress the activation of specific brain regions related to craving, supporting its potential as an intervention for drug craving.
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