ArticleCNS neuroscience & therapeutics2025
Study on the Central Neural Pathways Connecting the Brain and Peripheral Acupoints Using Neural Tracers.
Article in CNS neuroscience & therapeutics, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- New perspective on acupuncture treatment for obesity: mechanisms in the brain based on multidimensional neural circuits.American journal of translational research · 2026Review
- Electroacupuncture in glycemic control: Transitioning from clinical controversies to potential basic research.World journal of diabetes · 2025Review
- Study on the Central Neural Pathways Connecting the Brain and Peripheral Acupoints Using Neural Tracers.CNS neuroscience & therapeutics · 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
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
14 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundAcupuncture is widely used for therapeutic purposes, but the neural mechanisms underlying its effects are not fully understood. This study aims to investigate the neural projections from acupoints and subcutaneous (sham acupoints) sites to the central nervous system, using retrograde tracing technology, to clarify the specificity of acupuncture's neural pathways.
methodsAdult C57BL/6J mice were injected with the retrograde tracer PRV-CAG-3 × mScarlet at seven acupoints (LI4, GV20, LI11, BL23, LR3, ST25, ST36) and their corresponding subcutaneous sites (sham acupoints). After 120 h, the brains were processed to assess viral expression and neural projections using histological analysis and imaging techniques.
resultsThe results revealed differences in neural projections between the acupoint groups and their corresponding subcutaneous sites. Acupoints exhibited common neural projections to regions such as the primary motor cortex (M1), secondary motor cortex (M2), gigantocellular reticular nucleus (Gi), and ventrolateral periaqueductal gray (VLPAG), while subcutaneous sites showed more diffuse and less specific projections.
conclusionsCompared to subcutaneous injection sites (sham acupoints), acupoints exhibit common neural projections in the brain. In contrast to the more diffuse neural projection patterns observed in subcutaneous sites (sham acupoints), acupoints display more numerous and specific neural projections in the brain.
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