Real-time cerebral response of two classic acupuncture manipulations:Protocol for a randomized crossover fNIRS trial

Background:Reinforcing-reducing manipulations are a crucial part of acupuncture therapy.The reinforc-ing manipulation with heat sensation(RMHS)and the reducing manipulation by inducing cool sensation(RMCS)are two representative methods of reinforcing-reducing manipulations.This trial aims to investi-gate the characteristic of cerebral responses to these two typical acupuncture manipulations.Methods:A total of 35 healthy participants will be included and receive acupuncture stimulation with RMHS and RMCS in a random order.The psychology,cognition,and body constitution of participants will be measured by the Self-rating Anxiety Scale(SAS),the Self-rating Depression Scale(SDS),the mindful attention awareness scale(MAAS),the Constitution in Chinese Medicine Questionnaire(CCMQ),and the needle sensation will be evaluated after each acupuncture stimulation immediately.The cerebral activity changes elicited by RMHS and RMCS will be detected by functional near-infrared spectroscopy(fNIRS)and analyzed with the general linear model-based activation and the channel-to-channel functional con-nectivity.Discussion:This trial will investigate the cerebral response induced by RMHS and RMCS by real-time fNIRS,so as to map the characteristics of the central responses'patterns to these two manipulations and preliminarily explore the mechanism of traditional acupuncture manipulations.