ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Hum. Neurosci.
Sec. Brain Imaging and Stimulation
Volume 19 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2025.1649644
Gender Differences in Brain Activity Underlying Acupuncture Sensations at LR3: A Task-Based fMRI Study
Provisionally accepted
Hao Chu1
Bin-Jian Jiang2Dong-Na Li3
Wenxiu Duan2Zi-Zhan Gao2Yan-Yan Yang4
Chunsheng XU4*
Zijian WU2*Ning Dai4- 1School of Pharmaceutical Economics and Management, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, China
- 2Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, China
- 3Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
- 4The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, China
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To investigate potential gender-related variations in brain activity during acupuncture at acupoints using task-based functional magnetic resonance imaging (TB-fMRI).The modular task-based functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technique was employed to investigate brain activity, and the Massachusetts Acupuncture Sensation Scale (MASS) was utilized to assess acupuncture sensations experienced by the participants. Alterations in activated brain regions and functional connectivity were examined separately for males and females. Statistical analyses were performed to determine potential gender differences in acupuncture sensation.Results: Significant statistical differences were observed in the 12 acupuncture sensation scores of the MASS scale (p<0.001). Acupuncture LR3 activated the left inferior cerebellar gyrus, right superior margin gyrus, and left posterior central gyrus in women, and activated the right superior margin gyrus, left central sulcus, and right paracentral lobule in men. Enhanced functional connectivity was also observed in the bilateral thalamus of women: the bilateral caudate nucleus, right precuneus, right cuneate fissure, and bilateral lingular gyrus were highly active. Furthermore, the right thalami also demonstrated enhanced functional connectivity with the left cuneate fissure, right posterior cingulate gyrua, and left precuneu.The differences in the functional connectivity of the right superior marginal gyrus and thalamus between men and women may account for the differences in acupuncture sensory processing between men and women. In addition, the right superior marginal gyrus may be a specific brain region critical for activation of the LR3 acupoint.
Keywords: Acupuncture, Gender difference, task-based magnetic resonance imaging, functional connectivity, fMRI
Received: 19 Jun 2025; Accepted: 26 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Chu, Jiang, Li, Duan, Gao, Yang, XU, WU and Dai. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Chunsheng XU, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, China
Zijian WU, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, China
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