Studies on the brain responses to the pain-relieving treatments are relative limited, especially in dysmenorrhea. In this study, we investigated the brain response to acupuncture treatment in dysmenorrhea by using the arterial spin labeling technique. Results showed that after acupuncture treatment, significant decreases in cerebral blood flow were found in the pain-related regions, such as dorsal anterior cingulate cortex in the acupuncture group while orbitofrontal cortex, caudate, and insula in the sham acupuncture group. These findings suggest that acupuncture improves the descending pain modulation system by decreasing the neuronal activity in these brain regions.
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