针刺舌根部穴对人生理状态下吞咽功能影响的功能性核磁共振成像研究

目的通过对比健康成人舌根部穴针刺前后执行吞咽任务时脑功能区的激活差异,探讨针刺舌根部穴对吞咽功能影响的中枢机制。方法青年健康志愿者10名,分别于针刺舌根部穴前后运用功能磁共振技术进行吞咽任务(含静息状态、吞咽准备和吞咽任务)扫描,分析针刺前后数据集,获得针刺舌根部穴后执行吞咽任务的差异脑功能激活区。结果针刺前,脑激活区主要分布于左侧的颞上回和右侧的岛叶;针刺后,脑激活区主要分布于左侧小脑后叶、小脑叶、梭状回以及右侧舌状回,负激活区主要分布于左侧中央前回、中央后回以及右侧中央后回;针刺前后对比,差异脑激活区分布于左侧的梭状回、颞中回及额内侧回,负激活区位于左侧顶下小叶。结论针刺舌根部穴影响吞咽功能的原因可能是通过增强吞咽相关脑区参与任务执行的积极性,提高吞咽任务执行效率,以达到调节吞咽运动肌群的目的。

Effect of Acupuncture at Tongue Root Points on Swallowing Function in Physiological State: An Analysis Based on Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Objective To investigate the change in the activation of brain functional areas during swallowing after acupuncture at tongue root points in healthy adults, as well as the central mechanism for the effect of acupuncture at tongue root points on swallowing function. Methods A total of 10 healthy young volunteers were enrolled, and functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to scan brain areas during the resting state, preparation for swallowing, and the process of swallowing before and after acupuncture at tongue root points. The datasets before and after acupuncture were analyzed to investigate the difference in activated brain areas during swallowing before and after acupuncture at tongue root points. Results Before acupuncture, the activated brain areas were mainly located in the left superior temporal gyrus and the right insular lobe, while after acupuncture, the activated brain areas were mainly located in the left posterior cerebellar lobe, the left cerebellar lobe, the left fusiform gyrus, and the right lingual gyrus, and the negative activated brain areas were mainly located in the left anterior central gyrus, the left posterior central gyrus, and the right posterior central gyrus. The differentially activated brain areas before and after acupuncture were mainly located in the left fusiform gyrus, the left middle temporal gyrus, and the left medial frontal gyrus, and the negative activated brain areas were mainly located in the left inferior parietal lobule. Conclusion Acupuncture at tongue root points affects the swallowing function possibly by enhancing the activity of swallowing-related brain areas in participating in swallowing and improving the execution efficiency of swallowing, thus achieving the goal of regulating swallowing muscle groups.