Electroacupuncture at two acupuncture points reduced migraine-like pain more effectively than one point by limiting release of blood-vessel-active nerve chemicals.
Researchers used a conscious rat model of recurrent migraine and compared electroacupuncture applied at the Fengchi point alone with treatment at both Fengchi and Yanglingquan points. They assessed sensitivity to mechanical and heat stimuli through facial and paw withdrawal, tail-flick, and hot-plate tests. Blood samples and dura tissue were analysed for several nerve-derived chemicals that influence blood vessels, while activity in the trigeminal ganglion was assessed by measuring the cellular activation marker c-Fos.
Electroacupuncture reduced mechanical and heat hypersensitivity, lowered trigeminal ganglion activation, and decreased blood and dural concentrations of vasoactive neurotransmitters. Treatment at both acupuncture points produced stronger pain-relieving effects and greater reductions in these chemical signals than treatment at Fengchi alone, suggesting that combined-point stimulation may suppress migraine-related sensitisation through regulation of perivascular nerve signalling.
