ReviewFrontiers in neuroscience2023
Functional magnetic resonance imaging studies of acupuncture at ST36: a coordinate-based meta-analysis.
Review in Frontiers in neuroscience, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed.
- Decoding acupoint specificity: from neural patterns to bodily maps.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2026Article
- Moxibustion Stimulation Induces Changes in Brain Activity: A Functional MR Imaging Study.Magnetic resonance in medical sciences : MRMS : an official journal of Japan Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine · 2025Article
- Acupoints Compatibility Rules of Acupuncture for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders Based on Data Mining Technology: A Systematic Review.Iranian journal of public health · 2025Review
- Understanding the multifaceted brain mechanisms of acupuncture based on neuroimaging studies: findings and insights from meta-analyses.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2025Article
- Localization of brain networks activated by acupuncture at anatomically adjacent acupoints in healthy participants: neuroimaging evidence and implications for migraine and stroke.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2025Article
- Brain activities responding to acupuncture at acupoint in healthy subjects: a study protocol based on task-based fMRI.Frontiers in neurology · 2025Article
- Application of Polyglycolic Acid/Poly (Lactic-co-glycolic Acid) in Thread Embedding Acupuncture for Obesity: New Strategies and Challenges.Diabetes, metabolic syndrome and obesity : targets and therapy · 2025Review
- Shared and distinct brain activation patterns of acupoints HT7, ST36, and KI4: a task-based fMRI study.Frontiers in neurology · 2025Article
- Altered brain activity associated with premature ejaculation improved by electroacupuncture in rats.Sexual medicine · 2024Article
- Electroacupuncture modulates abnormal brain connectivity after ischemia reperfusion injury in rats: A graph theory-based approach.Brain and behavior · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has been widely used to investigate the brain effect of acupuncture point Stomach 36 (ST36, Zusanli). However, inconsistent results have hindered our understanding of the neural mechanisms of acupuncture at ST36. Objective: To perform a meta-analysis of fMRI studies on acupuncture at ST36 to assess the brain atlas of acupuncture at ST36 from available studies. Method: Based on a preregistered protocol in PROSPERO (CRD42019119553), a large set of databases was searched up to August 9, 2021, without language restrictions. Peak coordinates were extracted from clusters that showed significant signal differences before and after acupuncture treatment. A meta-analysis was performed using seed-based d mapping with permutation of subject images (SDM-PSI), a newly improved meta-analytic method. Results: A total of 27 studies (27 ST36) were included. This meta-analysis found that ST36 could activate the left cerebellum, the bilateral Rolandic operculum, the right supramarginal gyrus, and the right cerebellum. Functional characterizations showed that acupuncture at ST36 was mainly associated with action and perception. Conclusion: Our results provide a brain atlas for acupuncture at ST36, which, besides offering a better understanding of the underlying neural mechanisms, also provides the possibility of future precision therapies.
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