Exploring the evolution of post-acupuncture resting-state networks combining ICA and multivariate Granger causality

The sustained effects of acupuncture have been widely applied to clinical treatment, thus it can be assumed that the relatively functional specificity of acupoints may evolve as the function of time. In this study, we originally combined ICA and multivariate Granger causality analysis to explore the causal interactions within and among the post-acupuncture resting-state networks (RSNs) at a hearing-related acupoint GB40, with the cognition-related acupoint KI3 as a control. Following acupuncture at GB40, the superior temporal gyrus (STG) and anterior insula (AI) within auditory network appeared persistent bidirectional connection with maximal strength, and the interactions between the auditory network and others became more complex as time passed. For KI3, both the superior parietal lobule (SPL) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), as vital nuclei of cognitive function, emerged increased causal outflows and inflows as time went on. We concluded that acupuncture at different acupoints may exert different evolutive effects on causal interactions within and across the RSNs during segmented post-stimulus resting states.

[1]  Elsa Baena,et al.  On age differences in prefrontal function: The importance of emotional/cognitive integration , 2010, Neuropsychologia.

[2]  N. Kanwisher,et al.  Neuroimaging of cognitive functions in human parietal cortex , 2001, Current Opinion in Neurobiology.

[3]  Jie Tian,et al.  Time‐varied characteristics of acupuncture effects in fMRI studies , 2009, Human brain mapping.

[4]  Haibin Tong,et al.  The salient characteristics of the central effects of acupuncture needling: Limbic‐paralimbic‐neocortical network modulation , 2009, Human brain mapping.

[5]  D. Price,et al.  A psychophysical analysis of acupuncture analgesia , 1984, Pain.

[6]  E. Ernst,et al.  Acupuncture for Alzheimer’s disease: a systematic review , 2009, International journal of clinical practice.

[7]  B. Rosen,et al.  Acupuncture modulates the limbic system and subcortical gray structures of the human brain: Evidence from fMRI studies in normal subjects , 2000, Human brain mapping.

[8]  Jie Tian,et al.  Acupuncture modulates temporal neural responses in wide brain networks: evidence from fMRI study , 2010, Molecular pain.

[9]  S. Rombouts,et al.  Consistent resting-state networks across healthy subjects , 2006, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

[10]  Xiaoping Hu,et al.  Multivariate Granger causality analysis of fMRI data , 2009, Human brain mapping.

[11]  C. Granger.  Investigating causal relations by econometric models and cross-spectral methods , 1969 .

[12]  Mingzhou Ding,et al.  Evaluating causal relations in neural systems: Granger causality, directed transfer function and statistical assessment of significance , 2001, Biological Cybernetics.

[13]  Qiang Xu,et al.  Small-world directed networks in the human brain: Multivariate Granger causality analysis of resting-state fMRI , 2011, NeuroImage.

[14]  Jie Tian,et al.  Acupuncture modulates spontaneous activities in the anticorrelated resting brain networks , 2009, Brain Research.

[15]  Kate Thomas,et al.  Acupuncture for low back pain: traditional diagnosis and treatment of 148 patients in a clinical trial. , 2004, Complementary therapies in medicine.

[16]  M. Ding,et al.  Granger causal influence predicts BOLD activity levels in the default mode network , 2011, Human brain mapping.

[17]  Vinod Menon,et al.  Functional connectivity in the resting brain: A network analysis of the default mode hypothesis , 2002, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[18]  Vince D. Calhoun,et al.  Investigation of relationships between fMRI brain networks in the spectral domain using ICA and Granger causality reveals distinct differences between schizophrenia patients and healthy controls , 2009, NeuroImage.

[19]  Vince D. Calhoun,et al.  Sample dependence correction for order selection in fMRI analysis , 2006, 3rd IEEE International Symposium on Biomedical Imaging: Nano to Macro, 2006..

[20]  V. Menon,et al.  A critical role for the right fronto-insular cortex in switching between central-executive and default-mode networks , 2008, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

[21]  Jimin Liang,et al.  Spatiotemporal Modulation of Central Neural Pathway Underlying Acupuncture Action: A Systematic Review , 2009 .

[22]  Kyungmo Park,et al.  Acupuncture modulates resting state connectivity in default and sensorimotor brain networks , 2008, PAIN.