Trial reportFrontiers in neurology2026
LR3-LI4 needling side and configuration are associated with phase-specific cortical activation and network organization: a functional near-infrared spectroscopy study in healthy adults.
Trial report in Frontiers in neurology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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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.
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
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Abstract
Background: Whether dominant-side, non-dominant-side, or bilateral acupuncture produces comparable cortical activation remains unresolved. This study compared phase-specific cortical hemodynamic responses across these configurations at LR3-LI4 using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Methods: In total, 53 healthy right-handed adults were randomized to dominant-side acupuncture (DS, Results: During retention, DS showed greater left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and frontopolar area oxygenated hemoglobin (FPA HbO) activation than BI (DLPFC: mean difference = 0.110, 95% CI 0.036 to 0.184, Conclusion: In healthy right-handed adults, LR3-LI4 needling configuration was associated with distinct phase-specific cortical response patterns. DS was associated with greater retention-phase prefrontal HbO activation than BI; NDS showed a more somatosensory-dominant pattern, and BI showed attenuated retention-phase responses followed by post-removal network changes. These findings provide short-term neurophysiological evidence that the needling side may influence cortical responses, but they do not establish clinical superiority. Patient-based studies are needed to determine whether these cortical signatures predict therapeutic outcomes.
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