De nombreuses études ont été menées afin d’explorer le mécanisme neurophysiologique des points d’acupuncture Shu Assentiments du dos et Mu Hérauts. Celles-ci suggéraient une action de type segmentaire au niveau de la moelle épinière ; par contre le mécanisme d’action supra-spinal extra-segmentaire demeurait encore incertain. Les points Mu Héraut de l’Estomac (12RM Zhongwan) et le point Shu Assentiment du dos de l’Estomac (VE21 Weishu) ont donc été sélectionnés afin de déterminer leurs actions sur la régulation de la motilité gastrique et leurs mécanismes neurologiques centraux. Des études immunohistochimiques (exploration de l’expression C-fos au niveau des noyaux bulbaires), électrophysiologiques par lésion des noyaux bulbaires ou lésion du nerf vague ont permis d’objectiver ainsi que la régulation de la motilité gastrique se fait de manière synergique par les points Shu et Mu gastrique. L’électroacupuncture (EA : alternance de la fréquence 20Hz et 100 Hz à une intensité de 2-2,5mA) sur les points d’acupuncture RM12 et VE21 stimule le complexe vagal dorsal (DVC) par augmentation de leur taux d’hormones gastro-intestinales (gastrine et motiline), de façon à réguler la motilité gastrique via le nerf pneumogastrique vague. Le DVC est composé du noyau moteur dorsal du nerf vague (DMV) et le noyau du tractus solitaire qui contiennent respectivement des neurones fournissant l’innervation efférente vagale à la majeure partie de l’appareil digestif et les neurones qui reçoivent les afférences vagales des viscères. Par conséquent, le DVC est considéré comme un centre préganglionnaire parasympathique de régulation des fonctions gastro-intestinales. En somme, les auteurs ont montré le rôle important du DVC et du nerf vague dans la régulation de la motilité gastrique par EA sur les points Shu et Mu gastrique, démontrant le mécanisme supra-spinal.
Méridiens Medline du 26 mai au 30 juin 2013 (articles en libre accès)
1 : Maeda Y, Kettner N, Lee J, Kim J, Cina S, Malatesta C, Gerber J, McManus C, Im J, Libby A, Mezzacappa P, Morse LR, Park K, Audette J, Napadow V. Acupuncture-evoked response in somatosensory and prefrontal cortices predicts immediate pain reduction in carpal tunnel syndrome. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013 ;2013:795906. doi : 10.1155/2013/795906. Epub 2013 Jun 17. PubMed PMID : 23843881 ; PubMed Central PMCID : PMC3703406.
2 : Seo YR, Jung WS, Park SU, Moon SK, Park JM, Park JY. The effect of ouhyul herbal acupuncture point injections on shoulder pain after stroke. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013 ;2013:504686. doi : 10.1155/2013/504686. Epub 2013 Jun 13. PubMed PMID : 23843875 ; PubMed Central PMCID : PMC3697148.
3 : Lu J, Liang J, Wang JR, Hu L, Tu Y, Guo JY. Acupuncture Activates ERK-CREB Pathway in Rats Exposed to Chronic Unpredictable Mild Stress. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013 ;2013:469765. doi : 10.1155/2013/469765. Epub 2013 Jun 17. PubMed PMID : 23843874 ; PubMed Central PMCID : PMC3703360.
4 : Wang H, Shen GM, Liu WJ, Huang S, Zhang MT. The Neural Mechanism by Which the Dorsal Vagal Complex Mediates the Regulation of the Gastric Motility by Weishu (RN12) and Zhongwan (BL21) Stimulation. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013 ;2013:291764. doi : 10.1155/2013/291764. Epub 2013 May 30. PubMed PMID : 23843870 ; PubMed Central PMCID : PMC3697139.
5 : Jiang Y, Wang H, Liu Z, Dong Y, Dong Y, Xiang X, Bai L, Tian J, Wu L, Han J, Cui C. Manipulation of and sustained effects on the human brain induced by different modalities of acupuncture : an FMRI study. PLoS One. 2013 Jun 28 ;8(6) :e66815. doi : 10.1371/journal.pone.0066815. Print 2013. PubMed PMID : 23840533 ; PubMed Central PMCID : PMC3696086.
6 : Dong M, Zhao L, Yuan K, Zeng F, Sun J, Liu J, Yu D, von Deneen KM, Liang F, Qin W, Tian J. Length of Acupuncture Training and Structural Plastic Brain Changes in Professional Acupuncturists. PLoS One. 2013 Jun 19 ;8(6) :e66591. Print 2013. PubMed PMID : 23840505 ; PubMed Central PMCID : PMC3686711.
7 : Masaoka Y, Takayama M, Yajima H, Kawase A, Takakura N, Homma I. Analgesia Is Enhanced by Providing Information regarding Good Outcomes Associated with an Odor : Placebo Effects in Aromatherapy ? Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013 ;2013:921802. doi : 10.1155/2013/921802. Epub 2013 Jun 10. PubMed PMID : 23840270 ; PubMed Central PMCID : PMC3691937.
8 : Zhu D, Gao Y, Chang J, Kong J. Placebo acupuncture devices : considerations for acupuncture research. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013 ;2013:628907. doi : 10.1155/2013/628907. Epub 2013 Jun 6. PubMed PMID : 23840261 ; PubMed Central PMCID : PMC3690239.
9 : Kim S, Jung SJ, Cho SY, Song YK, Soh KS, Kim S. A method for the observation of the primo vascular system in the thoracic duct of a rat. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013 ;2013:536560. doi : 10.1155/2013/536560. Epub 2013 Jun 12. PubMed PMID : 23840257 ; PubMed Central PMCID : PMC3694377.
10 : Liao GS, Apaya MK, Shyur LF. Herbal medicine and acupuncture for breast cancer palliative care and adjuvant therapy. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013 ;2013:437948. doi : 10.1155/2013/437948. Epub 2013 Jun 12. PubMed PMID : 23840256 ; PubMed Central PMCID : PMC3694462.
11 : Tan F, Wang X, Li HQ, Lu L, Li M, Li JH, Fang M, Meng D, Zheng GQ. A randomized controlled pilot study of the triple stimulation technique in the assessment of electroacupuncture for motor function recovery in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013 ;2013:431986. doi : 10.1155/2013/431986. Epub 2013 Jun 10. PubMed PMID : 23840255 ; PubMed Central PMCID : PMC3691930.
12 : Xie G, Yang S, Chen A, Lan L, Lin Z, Gao Y, Huang J, Lin J, Peng J, Tao J, Chen L. Electroacupuncture at Quchi and Zusanli treats cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury through activation of ERK signaling. Exp Ther Med. 2013 Jun ;5(6):1593-1597. Epub 2013 Mar 26. PubMed PMID : 23837037 ; PubMed Central PMCID : PMC3702718.
13 : Yang Y, Wang LP, Zhang L, Wang LC, Wei J, Li JJ, Sun YL. Factors contributing to de qi in acupuncture randomized clinical trials. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013 ;2013:329392. doi : 10.1155/2013/329392. Epub 2013 May 30. PubMed PMID : 23818924 ; PubMed Central PMCID : PMC3683432.
14 : Bai L, Cui F, Zou Y, Lao L. Acupuncture de qi in stable somatosensory stroke patients : relations with effective brain network for motor recovery. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013 ;2013:197238. doi : 10.1155/2013/197238. Epub 2013 Jun 2. PubMed PMID : 23818921 ; PubMed Central PMCID : PMC3684124.
15 : Que Q, Ye X, Su Q, Weng Y, Chu J, Mei L, Huang W, Lu R, Zheng G. Effectiveness of acupuncture intervention for neck pain caused by cervical spondylosis : study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials. 2013 Jun 22 ;14:186. doi : 10.1186/1745-6215-14-186. PubMed PMID : 23800342 ; PubMed Central PMCID : PMC3700747.
16 : Enei ML, Paschoal FM, Valdés R. Argyria mimicking a blue nevis : dermoscopy features. An Bras Dermatol. 2013 Jun ;88(3). doi :pii : S0365-05962013000300452. 10.1590/abd1806-4841.20132022. PubMed PMID : 23793194.
17 : Bosch P, van Luijtelaar G, van den Noort M, Lim S, Egger J, Coenen A. Sleep ameliorating effects of acupuncture in a psychiatric population. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013 ;2013:969032. doi : 10.1155/2013/969032. Epub 2013 May 27. PubMed PMID : 23781273 ; PubMed Central PMCID : PMC3678454.
18 : Lee IS, Lee SH, Kim SY, Lee H, Park HJ, Chae Y. Visualization of the Meridian System Based on Biomedical Information about Acupuncture Treatment. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013 ;2013:872142. doi : 10.1155/2013/872142. Epub 2013 May 28. PubMed PMID : 23781270 ; PubMed Central PMCID : PMC3679759.
19 : Chen H, Dai J, Zhang X, Wang K, Huang S, Cao Q, Wang H, Liang Y, Shi C, Li M, Ha T, Ai L, Li S, Ma J, Wei W, You Y, Liu Z, Tian J, Bai L. Hypothalamus-related resting brain network underlying short-term acupuncture treatment in primary hypertension. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013 ;2013:808971. doi : 10.1155/2013/808971. Epub 2013 May 27. PubMed PMID : 23781269 ; PubMed Central PMCID : PMC3678444.
20 : Liu Z, Liu J, Zhao Y, Cai Y, He L, Xu H, Zhou X, Yan S, Lao L, Liu B. The efficacy and safety study of electro-acupuncture for severe chronic functional constipation : study protocol for a multicenter, randomized, controlled trial. Trials. 2013 Jun 15 ;14(1):176. doi : 10.1186/1745-6215-14-176. PubMed PMID : 23768191 ; PubMed Central PMCID : PMC3706209.
21 : Shin KM, Kim JH, Lee S, Shin MS, Kim TH, Park HJ, Lee MH, Hong KE, Lee S, Choi SM. Acupuncture for lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow) : study protocol for a randomized, practitioner-assessor blinded, controlled pilot clinical trial. Trials. 2013 Jun 14 ;14:174. doi : 10.1186/1745-6215-14-174. PubMed PMID : 23768129 ; PubMed Central PMCID : PMC3685553.
22 : Pincus T, Anwar S, McCracken L, McGregor A, Graham L, Collinson M, Farrin AJ ; OBI Trial Management Team. Testing the credibility, feasibility and acceptability of an optimised behavioural intervention (OBI) for avoidant chronic low back pain patients : protocol for a randomised feasibility study. Trials. 2013 Jun 13 ;14:172. doi : 10.1186/1745-6215-14-172. PubMed PMID : 23764140 ; PubMed Central PMCID : PMC3691616.
23 : Stener-Victorin E, Holm G, Janson PO, Gustafson D, Waern M. Acupuncture and physical exercise for affective symptoms and health-related quality of life in polycystic ovary syndrome : Secondary analysis from a randomized controlled trial. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2013 Jun 13 ;13(1):131. PMID : 23763822 ; PubMed Central PMCID : PMC3684530.
24 : Li QQ, Shi GX, Xu Q, Wang J, Liu CZ, Wang LP. Acupuncture effect and central autonomic regulation. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013 ;2013:267959. doi : 10.1155/2013/267959. Epub 2013 May 26. PubMed PMID : 23762116 ; PubMed Central PMCID : PMC3677642.
25 : Liu G, Ma HJ, Hu PP, Tian YH, Hu S, Fan J, Wang K. Effects of painful stimulation and acupuncture on attention networks in healthy subjects. Behav Brain Funct. 2013 Jun 7 ;9:23. doi : 10.1186/1744-9081-9-23. PubMed PMID : 23758880 ; PubMed Central PMCID : PMC3680197.
26 : Wang H, Liang X, Wang X, Luo D, Jia J, Wang X. Electro-Acupuncture Stimulation Improves Spontaneous Locomotor Hyperactivity in MPTP Intoxicated Mice. PLoS One. 2013 May 30 ;8(5) :e64403. doi : 10.1371/journal.pone.0064403. Print 2013. PubMed PMID : 23737982 ; PubMed Central PMCID : PMC3667805.
27 : Kasymjanova G, Grossman M, Tran T, Jagoe RT, Cohen V, Pepe C, Small D, Agulnik J. The potential role for acupuncture in treating symptoms in patients with lung cancer : an observational longitudinal study. Curr Oncol. 2013 Jun ;20(3):152-7. doi : 10.3747/co.20.1312. PubMed PMID : 23737683 ; PubMed Central PMCID : PMC3671020.
28 : Kier A, George M, McCarthy PW. Survey based investigation into general practitioner referral patterns for spinal manipulative therapy. Chiropr Man Therap. 2013 May 29 ;21(1):16. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID : 23718217 ; PubMed Central PMCID : PMC3668299.
29 : Lv JQ, Feng RZ, Li N. P6 acupoint stimulation for prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting in patients undergoing craniotomy : study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials. 2013 May 28 ;14:153. doi : 10.1186/1745-6215-14-153. PubMed PMID : 23710881 ; PubMed Central PMCID : PMC3668145.
30 : Murase T, Umeda M, Fukunaga M, Tanaka C, Higuchi T. Deconvolution Analyses with Tent Functions Reveal Delayed and Long-sustained Increases of BOLD Signals with Acupuncture Stimulation. Magn Reson Med Sci. 2013 Jun 25 ;12(2):121-7. Epub 2013 May 10. PubMed PMID : 23666154.
31 : Lin LM, Wang SF, Lee RP, Hsu BG, Tsai NM, Peng TC. Changes in skin surface temperature at an acupuncture point with moxibustion. Acupunct Med. 2013 Jun ;31(2):195-201. doi : 10.1136/acupmed-2012-010268. Epub 2013 Apr 18. PubMed PMID : 23598824 ; PubMed Central PMCID : PMC3686262.
32 : Park JE, Ryu YH, Liu Y, Jung HJ, Kim AR, Jung SY, Choi SM. A literature review of de qi in clinical studies. Acupunct Med. 2013 Jun ;31(2):132-42. doi : 10.1136/acupmed-2012-010279. Epub 2013 Mar 13. PubMed PMID : 23486017 ; PubMed Central PMCID : PMC3686265.
33. Kim NH, Cho SY, Jahng GH, Ryu CW, Park SU, Ko CN, Park JM. Differential Localization of Pain-Related and Pain-Unrelated Neural Responses for Acupuncture at BL60 Using BOLD fMRI. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013 ;2013:804696. doi : 10.1155/2013/804696. Epub 2013 Jun 18. PubMed PMID : 23853664 ; PubMed Central PMCID : PMC3703342.
34 : Lee MS, Kim YH, Park WS, Ahn WG, Park OK, Kwon SH, Morita K, Shim I, Her S. Novel antidepressant-like activity of propolis extract mediated by enhanced glucocorticoid receptor function in the hippocampus. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013 ;2013:217853. doi : 10.1155/2013/217853. Epub 2013 Jun 19. PubMed PMID : 23853655 ; PubMed Central PMCID : PMC3703885.