AUTHOR=Zhang Jin , Huang Wen-Hao , Zheng Ya-Dan , Li Xin , Jiang Hao-Xiang , Su Min-Zhi , Huang Xiao-Yan , Dou Zu-Lin , Tang Zhi-Ming 

TITLE=Effects of auricular acupuncture stimulation on healthy adults’ upper limb motor-evoked potentials: A randomized, crossover, double-blind study

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neuroscience

VOLUME=Volume 16 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnins.2022.895602

DOI=10.3389/fnins.2022.895602

ISSN=1662-453X

ABSTRACT=Objective: The aim of this study was to determine whether auricular acupuncture has neuromodulatory effects on the motor cortex of healthy adults.
Methods: Fourteen healthy subjects received a real auricular acupuncture stimulation (SF1) session and a sham acupuncture stimulation session. The interval between the two types of stimulation was more than 24 hours. A finger finger dexterity test (taping score and taping speed by using ipad) was assessed , and motor-evoked potentials (MEP) were assessed before and after each stimulation.
Results: Before the treatment, there were no significant differences in MEP amplitude, tapping score, or tapping speed (P > 0.05) between the real and sham stimulation conditions. After the treatment, the MEP amplitude, tapping score, and tapping speed in the real stimulation condition increased significantly compared to the pre-stimulation measurements and were significantly higher than those in the sham stimulation condition (P < 0.01). In the sham stimulation condition, the MEP amplitude, tapping score, and tapping speed decreased significantly compared to the pre-stimulation measurements (P < 0.05).
Conclusion: Acupuncture of auricular points can modulate the excitability of the motor cortex area of controlling the upper limbs. 
Keywords: cerebral motor cortex, auricular acupuncture, transcranial magnetic stimulation, brain excitability, upper limb function