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Electrical acupoint stimulation (EAS) has been used to treat motor dysfunction of stroke patients with reportedly effective results. When we operate EAS treatment, we can modulate the intensity and frequency of stimulation. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of different frequencies in treating motor dysfunction of ischemic stroke patients with EAS. The subjects of this study were 62 ischemic stroke patients with motor dysfunction in Kyunghee oriental medical center. They have been hospitalized after 1 week to 1 month from onset. They were treated with 2 Hz or 120 Hz EAS for 2 weeks, and had motor evoked potentials (MEPs) tests before and after 2 weeks of EAS treatment. We measured latency, central motor conduction time (CMCT) and amplitude of MEPs. After 2 weeks of treatment, we compared MEPs data of the affected side between the 2 Hz group and the 120 Hz group. The 2 Hz group showed more significant improvement than the 120 Hz group in latency, CMCT and amplitude ( p = 0.008, 0.002, 0.002). In the case of the affected side MEPs data divided by normal side MEPs data, the 2 Hz group also showed higher improvement rate than the 120 Hz group in latency, CMCT and amplitude with significant differences ( p = 0.003, 0.000, 0.008). These results suggest that low frequency EAS activates the central motor conduction system better than high frequency EAS, and EAS with low frequency could be more helpful for motor recovery after ischemic stroke than that with high frequency.

To determine whether jaw-tapping movement, a classically described as an indication of personal well-being and mental health, stimulates the memory and the cognitive regions of the brain and is associated with improved brain performance. Twelve healthy right-handed female subjects completed the study. Each patient performed a jaw-tapping task and an n-back task during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The subjects were trained to carry out the jaw-tapping movement at home twice a day for 4 weeks. The fMRI was repeated when they returned. During the first and second jaw-tapping session, both sides of precentral gyrus and the right middle frontal gyrus (BA 6) were activated. And during the second session of the jaw-tapping task, parts of frontal lobe and temporal lobe related to memory function were more activated. In addition, the total percent task accuracy in n-back task significantly increased after 4 weeks of jawtapping movement. After jaw-tapping training for 4 weeks, brain areas related to memory showed significantly increased blood oxygen level dependent signals. Jaw-tapping movement might be a useful exercise for stimulating the memory and cognitive regions of the brain.

The neuronal specificity of acupoints has not been entirely supported by the results of fMRI studies. The objective of this study was to investigate the neuronal specificity of an acupoint with electroacupuncture stimulation (EAS) using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Functional MR imaging of the entire brain was performed in 12 normal healthy subjects during EAS of GB34 (Yanglingquan) and its sham point over the left leg in counter-balanced order. Anatomically, both GB34 and its sham point belong to the L5 spinal segment. EAS at the left GB34 specifically activated the right putamen, caudate body, claustrum, thalamus, cerebellum, as well as the left caudate body, ventral lateral thalamus, and cerebellum, all related to motor function. EAS at the sham point of the left GB34 specifically activated the right BA6, BA8, BA40, BA44, thalamus, as well as the left thalamus and cerebellum. Taken together, these findings suggest that EAS at an acupoint and its sham point, in the same spinal segment, induced specific cerebral response patterns. These findings support neuronal specificity of the acupoint studied. EAS at GB34 appears to be more related to motor function than EAS at its sham point, suggesting specificity of the GB34 acupoint. The results of this study provide neurobiological evidence for the existence of acupoint specificity, although further studies are necessary to better understand this phenomenon.