Acupuncture at the sanyinjiao point rapidly altered brain activity in regions involved in sensory processing, emotion, and self-focused thought among women with premenstrual syndrome.
Researchers enrolled women with premenstrual syndrome and collected resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scans immediately before and after a brief session of electrical acupuncture stimulation at the sanyinjiao point. They analysed regional homogeneity, which measures the synchrony of activity among neighbouring brain areas, to identify changes associated with stimulation.
Following acupuncture, local brain synchrony decreased in the precuneus and frontal cortical regions, while it increased in the thalamus, insula, putamen, and primary somatosensory cortex. These changes suggest that acupuncture may regulate abnormal brain activity in premenstrual syndrome by influencing networks involved in bodily sensation, emotional processing, and cognitive control.
