AUTHOR=Ning Yanzhe , Zheng Sisi , Feng Sitong , Yao Hao , Feng Zhengtian , Liu Xinzi , Dong Linrui , Jia Hongxiao 

TITLE=The altered intrinsic functional connectivity after acupuncture at shenmen (HT7) in acute sleep deprivation

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neurology

VOLUME=Volume 13 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neurology/articles/10.3389/fneur.2022.947379

DOI=10.3389/fneur.2022.947379

ISSN=1664-2295

ABSTRACT=Introduction Accumulating evidences have shown that acupuncture could significantly improve the sleep quality and cognitive function of individuals suffering from insufficient sleep. Numerous animal studies have confirmed the effects and mechanisms of acupuncture on sleep deprivation (SD). However, the role of acupuncture on the individuals after SD remain unclear. 
Methods In this study, we recruited 30 healthy subjects with regular sleep. All participants received twice resting-state fMRI scans during the rested wakefulness (RW) state and after 24h of total SD. The scan after 24h of total SD included two resting-state fMRI sessions before and after needling at Shenmen (HT7). Both edge-based and large-scale network FCs were calculated. 
Results The edge-based results showed the suprathreshold edges with abnormal between-network FC involving all paired networks except somatosensory motor network (SMN)-SCN between the SD and RW state, while both decreased and increased between-network FC of edges involving all paired networks except frontoparietal network (FPN)-subcortical network (SCN) between before and after acupuncture at HT7. Compared with the RW state, the large-scale brain network results showed decreased between-network FC in SMN-Default Mode Network (DMN), SMN-FPN, SMN-ventral attention network (VAN), increased between-network FC in Dorsal Attention Network (DAN)-VAN, DAN-SMN between the RW state and after 24h of total SD. After acupuncture at HT7, the large-scale brain network results showed decreased between-network FC in DAN-VAN, increased between-network FC in SMN-VAN.
Conclusion Acupuncture could widely modulate all brain networks and reverse the specific between-network FC. The altered FC after acupuncture at HT7 may provide new evidence to interpret neuroimaging mechanisms of the acupuncture effect on SD.