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. 2022 Aug 18:16:895602.
doi: 10.3389/fnins.2022.895602. eCollection 2022.

Effects of auricular acupuncture stimulation on healthy adults' upper limb motor-evoked potentials: A randomized, crossover, double-blind study

Jin Zhang  1 , Wen-Hao Huang  1 , Ya-Dan Zheng  1 , Xin Li  1 , Hao-Xiang Jiang  1 , Min-Zhi Su  1 , Xiao-Yan Huang  1 , Zu-Lin Dou  1 , Zhi-Ming Tang  1
Affiliations

Effects of auricular acupuncture stimulation on healthy adults' upper limb motor-evoked potentials: A randomized, crossover, double-blind study

Jin Zhang et al. Front Neurosci. .

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine whether auricular acupuncture has neuromodulatory effects on the motor cortex of healthy adults.

Methods: Fourteen healthy subjects received a real auricular acupuncture stimulation (SF1) session and a sham acupuncture stimulation session. The interval between the two types of stimulation was more than 24 h. A finger dexterity test (taping score and taping speed by using ipad) was assessed, and motor-evoked potentials (MEP) were assessed before and after each stimulation.

Results: Before the treatment, there were no significant differences in MEP amplitude, tapping score, or tapping speed (P > 0.05) between the real and sham stimulation conditions. After the treatment, the MEP amplitude, tapping score, and tapping speed in the real stimulation condition increased significantly compared to the pre-stimulation measurements and were significantly higher than those in the sham stimulation condition (P < 0.01). In the sham stimulation condition, the MEP amplitude, tapping score, and tapping speed decreased significantly compared to the pre-stimulation measurements (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: Acupuncture of auricular points can modulate the excitability of the motor cortex area of controlling the upper limbs.

Clinical trial registration: [http://www.chictr.org.cn/index.aspx], identifier [ChiCTR2100051608].

Keywords: auricular acupuncture; brain excitability; cerebral motor cortex; transcranial magnetic stimulation; upper limb function.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Flowchart of the experiment.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Differences in motor-evoked potentials (MEP) amplitude before and after the real and sham stimulation sessions. ***P < 0.001, *P < 0.05.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Differences in tapping scores before and after the real and sham stimulation sessions. ***P < 0.001, **P < 0.01.
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Differences in tapping frequencies before and after the real and sham stimulation sessions. **P < 0.01, *P < 0.05.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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