ABSTRACT
Despite the significant efficacy of acupuncture in alleviating anxiety and depression, the mechanism remains unclear. In recent years, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technology has provided a visual method for deciphering the mechanism of acupuncture in treating anxiety and depression. This paper summarized the clinical studies about the imaging changes of anxiety and depression during the treatment with acupuncture under fMRI. The available studies demonstrated that acupuncture may act on functional nuclei and brain regions such as hippocampus, amygdala, cingulate gyrus, frontal lobe, and temporal lobe. The paper can lay a foundation for the further study of the central mechanism of acupuncture in the treatment of anxiety and depression.