Acupuncture Practices and Brain Waves

Acupuncture is the most frequently used treatment method among the complementary medicine practices. Acupuncture practices mainly affect the somatic and autonomic nervous systems in the nervous system. It is important to understand the mechanism of action of acupuncture practices especially in the central nervous system. Electroencephalography (EEG) is one of the best techniques to explain the effects of acupuncture on the central nervous system. In the present review, the changes in the EEG by the application of acupuncture to different acupoints were evaluated. It was observed that the application of acupuncture to different acupoints caused different brain activities in different regions of the brain. In addition to this, an increase in the alpha-1 wave frequency due to the stimulation of Baihui (GV 20), Neiguan (P6), and Hegu (LI 4) acupoints in different meridian and regions has indicated that these points have mood modifying and relaxation effects and they can be used in the psychological state changes.