Power Spectral Differences of Electrophysiological Signals Detected at Acupuncture Points and Non-Acupuncture Points

Abstract

In this study, we chose 10 acupoints and non-acupuncture point control groups to see if there are electrical differences between acupoints and non-acupoints. 4 adjacent non-acupoints around each acupoint were chosen as a control group in 400 trials on 10 volunteers aged 23-30 years to characterize the Power Spectral Density of acupoint electrophysiological signals, which means the differences of power and its distribution in frequency. The electrophysiological signals of acupoints and control groups were recorded simultaneously. The results show that acupoint electrophysiological signals have higher Power Spectral Density and power than nearby non-acupoint areas. Integrating the entire data, power of acupoint electrical signals are about 14.7% higher than nearby non-acupoint electrical signals, and most of the higher power is distributed from 0 to 10 Hz and 0-2 Hz is the highest. The maximum power difference between acupoints and non-acupoint is 61.5% appeared in LI 11. From physiological view, the percentage is high enough to show the electrical specificity of acupoint, which is strong proof of Traditional Chinese Medicine theory and one of the bases for further research. As acupoint electrophysiological signals are driven by internal organs, they can reflect the health condition of internal organs effectively, and so analysis of acupoint electrophysiological signals may be a new way to diagnose organ diseases instead of with the experience of doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine.