THE CENTRAL EFFECT OF ELECTROACUPUNCTURE ANALGESIA ON VISCERAL PAIN OF RATS - A STUDY USING THE (H-3) 2-DEOXYGLUCOSE METHOD

This study had the objective to understand the central effect of elect ro-acupuncture analgesia (EAA) on visceral pain of rats. We used the m ethod of Sokoloff's 2-deoxyglucose (2-DG) auto-radiographic quantitati ve analysis to observe the changes of local cerebral metabolic rate of glucose (LCMRG) in rats given electrical stimulation of greater splan chnic nerve (GSN) followed by electro-acupuncture. From the results of this study, we found that the LCMRG had a significant difference betw een EAA group and pain group at some structures, such as the spinal th oracic and lumbar dorsal horns (segments T6-T8, L1-L3), locus coeruleu s (lc), nucleus raphe magnus (rm), nucleus reticular gigantocellularis (rgi), periaqueductal gray (PAG) and habenulae lateralis (hl) of thal anum. The results combining reports by other investigators, suggest th at these local cerebral structures might be the key nuclei in EAA on v isceral pain.