--- title: Does acupuncture at a specific point change how the brain works in women with PMS? description: The study found that acupuncture at a point called SP6 changed brain activity in several areas. Since this was a small study with no comparison group, we cann url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/altered-fractional-amplitude-of-low-frequency-fluctuation-in-women-with-2021/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does acupuncture at a specific point change how the brain works in women with PMS? Study, 2021 # Does acupuncture at a specific point change how the brain works in women with PMS? The study found that acupuncture at a point called SP6 changed brain activity in several areas. Since this was a small study with no comparison group, we cannot be confident about how much this matters for treatment. Early or limited evidence 20 women with premenstrual syndrome ## What they did Twenty women with PMS had brain scans before and after acupuncture treatment at a point called SP6 on the leg, done in the late part of their menstrual cycle. Each scan took 6 minutes. ## What they found After acupuncture, brain activity increased in the brainstem, right thalamus, both sides of the insula, right paracentral lobule, and both sides of the cerebellum. Brain activity decreased in the left cuneus, right precuneus, and left inferior temporal cortex. ## What it means for you The study shows acupuncture may change brain activity in women with PMS. However, this was a very small study with only 20 women and no comparison group, so we cannot be sure how much this matters for actually treating PMS symptoms. 20 women with PMS 6 minutes for each brain scan ## About the study Original title Altered fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation in women with premenstrual syndrome via acupuncture at Sanyinjiao (SP6) Authors Duan G, Chen Y, Pang Y et al. Journal Annals of general psychiatry Year 2021 Study design Study What was tested Electro-acupuncture at the SP6 acupoint Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1186/s12991-021-00349-z](https://doi.org/10.1186/s12991-021-00349-z) Original abstract Background: Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a prevalent gynecological disease and is significantly associated with abnormal neural activity. Acupuncture is an effective treatment on PMS in clinical practice. However, few studies have been performed to investigate whether acupuncture might modulate the abnormal neural activity in patients with PMS. Thereby, the aim of the study was to assess alterations of the brain activity induced by acupuncture stimulation in PMS patients. Methods: Twenty PMS patients were enrolled in this study. All patients received a 6-min resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) scan before and after electro-acupuncturing stimulation (EAS) at Sanyinjiao (SP6) acupoint in the late luteal phase of menstrual. Fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF) method was applied to examine the EAS-related brain changes in PMS patients. Results: Compared with pre-EAS at SP6, increased fALFF value in several brain regions induced by SP6, including brainstem, right thalamus, bilateral insula, right paracentral lobule, bilateral cerebellum, meanwhile, decreased fALFF in the left cuneus, right precuneus, left inferior temporal cortex. Conclusions: Our findings provide imaging evidence to support that SP6-related acupuncture stimulation may modulate the neural activity in patients with PMS. This study may partly interpret the neural mechanisms of acupuncture at SP6 which is used to treat PMS patients in clinical. Trial registration: The study was registered on http://www.chictr.org.cn . The Clinical Trial Registration Number is ChiCTR-OPC-15005918, registry in 29/01/2015. Reproduced under CC-BY. ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Acupuncture and acupressure](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-acupuncture/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Systematic review, 2026 Which traditional Chinese medicine treatments work best for PMS? Systematic review, 2024 What are the best treatments for PMDD and PMS? Systematic review, 2022 What are the best treatments for PMDD and PMS? Review, 2017 Can combining different types of treatments help PMS more than using one approach alone? Systematic review, 2014 Do acupuncture and herbal medicine help PMS or PMDD symptoms? Systematic review, 2010 Does acupuncture treat premenstrual syndrome? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗