The effect of acupuncture at the Yuji point on resting-state brain function in anxiety

Background: The COVID-19 epidemic has placed a lot of mental burdens on school students, causing anxiety. Clinically, it has been found that the Yuji point (LU10) can relieve anxiety by regulating Qi. Methods: Thirty-six volunteers with anxiety disorders were divided into 3 groups, all of whom underwent 2 MRI examinations. The Yuji and nonacupoint groups received acupuncture between functional magnetic resonance imagings. We used the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation to analyze regional brain activity, and seed-based functional connectivity (FC) to analyze changes in brain networks. Results: After acupuncture, the LU10 was able to activate the frontal lobe, medial frontal gyrus, anterior cingulate gyrus, temporal lobe, hippocampus, etc in the left brain compared to the control group. The frontal lobe, medial frontal gyrus, cingulate gyrus, and anterior cingulate gyrus in the left brain were activated compared to those in the nonacupoint group. Compared with the control group, LU10 showed increased FC in the right parietal lobe, right precuneus, left temporal lobe, left superior temporal gyrus, and with cingulate gyrus. FC was enhanced among the hippocampus with the left temporal lobe and the superior temporal gyrus and reduced in the right lingual gyrus and right occipital lobe. Conclusion: Acupuncture at LU10s can regulate anxiety by upregulating or downregulating the relevant brain regions and networks. LU10s can be used to treat not only lung disorders but also related mental disorders.