S1 Brain Connectivity in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Underlies Median Nerve and Functional Improvement Following Electro-Acupuncture.

ABSTRACT: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is a median nerve entrapment neuropathy that alters primary somatosensory cortex (S1) organization. While electro-acupuncture (EA), a form of peripheral neuromodulation, has been shown to improve clinical and neurophysiological CTS outcomes, the role of EA-evoked brain response during therapy (within and beyond S1) for improved outcomes is unknown. We investigated S1-associated whole brain fMRI connectivity during both a resting and sustained EA stimulation state in age-matched healthy controls (N = 28) and CTS patients (N = 64), at baseline and after 8 weeks of acupuncture therapy (local, distal, or sham EA). Compared to healthy controls, CTS patients at baseline showed decreased resting state functional connectivity between S1 and thalamic pulvi

SUBMITTER: Fisher H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8578723 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature