Study of 357 Patients Finds Acupuncture Rewires Depression Brain Circuits

1 articles · Updated · ScienceAlert · Aug 18

Brain scans from 357 people with major depressive disorder showed acupuncture altered activity in emotion and reward circuits, with stronger signals in the right cingulum and right caudate nucleus.
A pooled analysis of seven clinical trials found those neural changes differed from antidepressants, which instead boosted activity in the left hippocampus and right middle occipital gyrus.
Compared with antidepressants alone, acupuncture was linked to larger reductions in depression and anxiety scores, though most acupuncture patients were also taking antidepressant medication.
More acupuncture sessions were associated with greater change in the left amygdala, a finding researchers say could help explain benefits for emotional regulation and anhedonia.
The authors said larger, longer and more standardized studies are needed to test whether acupuncture can complement conventional treatment, especially in treatment-resistant depression.