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Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Volume 2012 (2012), Article ID 534219, 7 pages
doi:10.1155/2012/534219
Patch Clamp: A Powerful Technique for Studying the Mechanism of Acupuncture
1Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
2Shanghai Research Center for Acupuncture and Meridians, Shanghai 201203, China
Received 13 August 2012; Accepted 18 September 2012
Academic Editor: Guang-hong Ding
Copyright © 2012 D. Zhang. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
Cellular and molecular events can be investigated using electrophysiological techniques. In particular, the patch-clamp method provides detailed information. In addition, the patch-clamp technique has become a powerful method for investigating the mechanisms underlying the effects of acupuncture. In this paper, recent researches on how acupuncture might modulate electrophysiological responses in the central nervous system (CNS) and affect peripheral structures are reviewed.