Study on the Central Neural Pathways Connecting the Brain and Peripheral Acupoints Using Neural Tracers

IF 5 1区医学 Q1 NEUROSCIENCES

CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics Pub Date : 2025-08-05 DOI:10.1111/cns.70554

Junquan Liang, Weikang Sun, Yifu Zhou, Pan Zhang, Yuang Chen, Xuejie Li, Haoxuan He, Xiangkai Liu, Shibiao Zhou, Jingran Shen, Hongli Jiang, Yanzhang Chen, Rundong Tang, Luda Yan

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Abstract

Background

Acupuncture 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.

Methods

Adult 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.

Results

The 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.

Conclusions

Compared 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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用神经示踪剂研究连接大脑和周围穴位的中枢神经通路

针灸被广泛用于治疗目的，但其作用的神经机制尚不完全清楚。本研究旨在利用逆行示踪技术研究穴位和皮下（假穴位）部位向中枢神经系统的神经投射，以阐明针灸神经通路的特异性。方法在成年C57BL/6J小鼠的7个穴位（LI4、GV20、LI11、BL23、LR3、ST25、ST36）及其对应的皮下部位（假穴位）注射逆行示踪剂PRV-CAG-3 × mScarlet。120小时后，对大脑进行处理，利用组织学分析和成像技术评估病毒表达和神经投射。结果穴位组和相应的皮下部位在神经投射上存在差异。穴位对初级运动皮质（M1）、次级运动皮质（M2）、巨细胞网状核（Gi）和腹外侧导水管周围灰质（VLPAG）等区域表现出共同的神经投射，而皮下部位表现出更多的弥漫性和不特异性的投射。结论与皮下注射部位（假穴位）相比，穴位在大脑中表现出共同的神经投射。与在皮下部位（假穴位）观察到的更分散的神经投射模式相反，穴位在大脑中显示出更多的和特定的神经投射。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics 医学-神经科学

CiteScore

7.30

自引率

12.70%

发文量

240

审稿时长

2 months

期刊介绍： CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics provides a medium for rapid publication of original clinical, experimental, and translational research papers, timely reviews and reports of novel findings of therapeutic relevance to the central nervous system, as well as papers related to clinical pharmacology, drug development and novel methodologies for drug evaluation. The journal focuses on neurological and psychiatric diseases such as stroke, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, depression, schizophrenia, epilepsy, and drug abuse.