Newly Prepared 129Xe Nanoprobe-Based Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging to Evaluate the Efficacy of Acupuncture on Intractable Peripheral Facial Paralysis.

This study focused on the application value of the newly prepared 129Xe nanoprobe-based functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in exploring the mechanism of the acupuncture treatment for intractable facial paralysis, expected to provide a theoretical reference for the mechanism of acupuncture for the treatment of facial paralysis. In this study, 30 patients with intractable peripheral facial paralysis (experimental group) and 30 healthy volunteers (control group) were selected. All patients were scanned by the newly prepared 129Xe nanoprobe-based fMRI technology, and then brain functional status data and rating data were collected. fMRI scanning results showed that multiple brain regions were activated in the experimental group before treatment, among which the central posterior brain, insula, and thalamus were positively activated, while the precuneus, superior frontal gyrus, and other parts showed signal reduction. After treatment, several brain regions also showed signal enhancement. Comparisons within the healthy control group also showed activation in multiple brain regions, including the lenticular nucleus, inferior frontal gyrus, and superior temporal gyrus, while in the experimental group, no signal changes were detected in these brain regions. At the same time, comparison of fMRI images of patients with intractable peripheral facial paralysis before and after treatment showed that the cerebellar amygdala, superior frontal gyrus, cerebellar mountaintop, and other brain areas were activated, and all showed positive activation. After treatment, the average House-Brackmann (H-B) and Sunnybrook scores of the experimental group were 3.82 and 51, respectively, and the change was significant compared with that before treatment (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the newly prepared 129Xe nanoprobe-based fMRI scan can reflect the functional changes of cerebral cortex after acupuncture. The acupuncture treatment may achieve its therapeutic effect by promoting the functional reorganization of the cerebral cortex in the treatment of intractable facial paralysis.

[Comparative study on fMRI of the brain based on Dicang (ST 4), Hegu (LI 4) and Houxi (SI 3) on human body].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the correlation relationship between acupuncture at Dicang (ST 4), Hegu (LI 4) and Houxi (SI 3) on the affected side of peripheral facial paralysis patients and activated areas in brain functional areas and central regulation mechanism of acupuncture at Hegu (LI 4) treatment. METHODS: Eighteen cases with left peripheral facial paralysis were randomly divided into a Hegu group, a Dicang group and a Houxi group, 6 cases in each group. They were treated with electroacupuncture at left Dicang (ST 4), Hegu (LI 4) and Houxi (SI 3), respectively, and were examined with fMRI covering the whole brain at the same time. The fMRI data was analyzed by SPM software. RESULTS: It was found that the left precentral gyrus area and the left postcentral gyrus area were activated when electroacupuncture at left Hegu (LI 4), and the right precentral gyrus area and the bilateral postcentral gyrus area were activated when electroacupuncture at left Dicang (ST 4), and there was no activated area at precentral gyrus area and post central gyrus area when electroacupuncture at left Houxi (SI 3). CONCLUSION: The sensory importation information from Hegu (LI 4) and Dicang (ST 4) can converge and coincide in the brain and may influence each other.