The central analgesic mechanism of acupuncture for migraine remains poorly understood. Acupuncture has been shown to become a recommended treatment for migraine sufferers. However, a single acupuncture stimulus cannot be indicative of the cumulative effects of acupuncture treatment. Prof. Fanrong Liang and colleagues from Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine recruited migraine sufferers receiving 1 month of acupuncture treatment and explored the central analgesic mechanism of the cumulative effects of acupuncture for migraine. The aim of their study was to examine changes in brain functional activity and central networks in subjects with migraine undergoing acupuncture at Shaoyang uncommon acupoints. This trial has been registered on http://www.clinicaltrial.gov and provides a further explanation of the central analgesic mechanism by which acupuncture at Shaoyang acupoints treats migraine. These findings are published in the Neural Regeneration Research (Vol. 8, No. 28, 2013).
Triptans prove to be more effective for acute migraines than newer drugs