What question did this study set out to answer?

To investigate how electroacupuncture influences pain-related brain activity in KOA mice.

February 11, 2026Behavioral and Brain Functions0 citationsOpen Access

Effects of electroacupuncture at Zusanli on pain-perception-related brain nuclei in KOA mice: a study on cortical and subcortical c-fos expression

ACA. X. Chen TZTiantian Zhao XGXiaofei Gao

Key Points

To investigate how electroacupuncture influences pain-related brain activity in KOA mice.
Applied electroacupuncture at Zusanli on KOA mice
Measured c-fos expression in cortical and subcortical nuclei
Compared neuronal activity before and after treatment
Observed activation of the granular insular cortex and medial septal nucleus after treatment
Noted reversal of inhibition in the lateral septal nucleus and caudate putamen
Findings suggest modulation of pain processing pathways through electroacupuncture

Abstract

Inflammatory pain induces widespread inhibition of neuronal activity in cortical and subcortical nuclei. The core mechanisms of electroacupuncture analgesia may involve direct reversal of abnormal inhibition in the lateral septal nucleus, caudate putamen, accumbens nucleus, and the anterior cortical amygdaloid area and activation of the granular insular cortex, medial septal nucleus and the extended amygdala for pain information integration.

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