Various reports concerning the analgesic mechanism of acupuncture first from China and then from other countries have appeared. A summary of these gives us the following.
1. From the Nerve Transmission Substance Aspect
The following can be said about how acupuncture alters the amount of nerve transmission substance (NT) in the nerve centers or the ways in which the amount of central NT influences the acupuncture analgesic effect.
Serotonin, acetylcholine and OLS can be included among substance an increase in acupuncture effects or which are perhaps increased through acupuncture and oppositely, norepinephrine, dopamine and naloxone gifen as examples of substances working in opposition to acupuncture effects. It can be said then that the acupuncture effect is related with all of these substances but principally with se rotonin and OLS among them.
It has already been proven that acupuncture effects an increase in OLS. This effect is opposed by naloxone. As with morphine, in the analgesic effect of OLS the descendant suppression to the spinal neurons from the brain is great. The acupuncture effect is weakened by dissection at T1 on the spine or dorsalateral tract.
2. From the Electrophysiological Aspect
It can be stated that the reception of pain is transmitted centrally by the Pf and Cl nuclei of the thalmus and spinally by the 5th layer neurons of the dorsal horn. Infringing stimulation increases actifity of these neurons while acupuncture stimulation or electrical stimulation of the CM nucleus, caudate nucleus or midbrain raphe (nucleus) restrict such activity.
On one hand acupuncture stimulation effects an increase in individual electrical discharge of the neurons of the CM, caudate and raphe nuclei. The relationship between acupuncture and PAG is in the same. With the exception of the CM nucleaus, electrical stimulatio nof these nuclei serves to increase OLS and at times serotonin and acetylcholine concentrations. Moreover these eqects are opposed by naloxone. In other words acupuncture stimulation and the stimulation of these nuclei inhibit the ignition of spinal dorsal horn 5th layers neurons against infringing stimulation.
It can be said that the analgesic mechanism of acupuncture when it is administered in the area of pain is one explained by the gate control theory as an increase in the strength of the inhibitory system through acupuncture.
