The central regulatory effects of acupuncture in treating primary insomnia: a review

Abstract

Chronic insomnia has the potential to significantly impact physical well-being, occupational performance, and overall quality of life. This review summarizes the clinical and basic research on the central regulatory mechanism of acupuncture in treating primary insomnia (PI), aiming to explore the clinical effectiveness and possible mechanism of acupuncture in treating PI. The currently available drugs for insomnia exhibit notable adverse effects and tend to induce dependence. Empirical evidence from clinical investigations has demonstrated that acupuncture has a favorable safety profile while substantially enhancing the sleep quality of individuals diagnosed with PI. The combination of acupuncture and medication has been shown to augment the therapeutic efficacy of medication while reducing the dosage and mitigating the occurrence of unwanted effects. A review of the current clinical and basic research on the effects of acupuncture on central alterations in PI patients revealed that acupuncture exerts a regulatory influence on the functional activity of brain regions implicated in cognitive and emotional processes. Additionally, acupuncture has been found to impact metabolite levels and circadian clock gene expression and enhance inflammatory responses and energy metabolism. Notably, a single acupuncture intervention had a modulatory effect on functional brain regions similar to that of cumulative acupuncture. The current clinical trials on acupuncture have been limited in scale, and basic research has focused on a single objective. With the continuous progress of brain research, extensive clinical randomized controlled trials of high quality can be combined with various neuroimaging technology modalities. Moreover, different targets and pathways can be explored through basic research. This may serve to enhance the understanding of the fundamental central nervous system mechanisms involved in the efficacy of acupuncture in treating PI.

Keywords: acupuncture; brain; neural mechanism; neuroimaging; primary insomnia.