Electrical Potential at Acupuncture Points: Using a Novel Biokelvin Probe

穴位电位：使用新型生物开尔文探针

• 批准号: 8040997
• 负责人: Andrew C Ahn
• 金额: $ 15.01万
• 依托单位: MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-08-01 至 2012-08-29
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/8040997
• 关键词: Acupuncture Points; Acupuncture procedure; Address; Affect; Agar; Air; Animal Model; Area; Asians; Award; Back; Basic Science; Biological; Biology; Biophysics; Botanicals; Bypass; Characteristics; Clinical; Clinical Research; Colloids; Communities; Complement; Corrosion; Coupling; Data; Development; Devices; Diagnostic; Electric Capacitance; Electric Stimulation; Electrodes; Engineering; Epidemiology; Epidermis; Frequencies; Grant; Hand; Heart; Human; Intervention; Liquid substance; Maps; Measures; Medicine; Meridians; Metals; Methods; Modification; Needles; Physics; Physiological; Physiology; Principal Investigator; Reading; Research; Research Personnel; Resistance; Resolution; Sampling; Scanning; Science; Site; Skin; Stratum corneum; Surface; Sweat Glands; Techniques; Technology; Thick; Time; Tissues; Touch sensation; Translating; Uncertainty; Water; base; career; clinical application; clinical practice; computer science; density; electric impedance; electrical potential; electrical property; experience; in vivo; insight; meetings; multidisciplinary; novel; pressure; public health relevance; quality assurance

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): According to conventional wisdom within the acupuncture community, acupuncture points are distinguishable by their electrical properties - specifically, decreased electrical impedance, increased capacitance, and elevated electrical potential compared to non-acupuncture points. The enthusiasm for this view, however, is tempered by the multiple confounders arising from the skin-to-electrode contact required by standard electrodermal devices. As long as the electrode touches the skin, confounders such as electrode pressure and skin moisture are unavoidable and lend to doubts about any conclusion drawn from electrical readings at acupuncture points. The recent development of the Scanning Kelvin Probe allows researchers, for the first time, to bypass these limitations and to help resolve this fifty year old debate. The Scanning Kelvin Probe measures surface electrical potential without actually touching the skin and relies on capacitive coupling between the probe and the sample. Our team has extensive experience with the Scanning Kelvin Probe and have performed preliminary studies in metal, air-water interface, and in vivo human skin. Our long-term objective is to use the Scanning Kelvin Probe to characterize the surface potential of acupuncture points and to apply it to clinical settings. We hypothesize that the Scanning Kelvin Probe will be capable of localizing acupuncture points and providing diagnostic information. This proposal proposes three specific aims to help address this hypothesis: (1) Physiology - to determine the effects of sweat gland density, stratum corneum thickness, and moisture on skin surface potential; and (2) Acupuncture Points - to measure surface potential at select acupuncture points; and (3) Clinical Applications - to assess effects of needling on the electrical potential of acupuncture points. These aims will be addressed by early device modifications and three pilot human studies. To undertake this task, we have assembled a world-class team of multidisciplinary experts that span the fields of physics, biological engineering, computer science, medicine, biology, epidemiology, and East Asian Medicine. This project forms the basis for a subsequent, more definitive study and greatly facilitates the application of this state-of-the-art technology to clinical acupuncture and medicine. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This project provides information on the electrical properties of acupuncture points. It may offer important insights into how acupuncture points function and thus provide ways to optimize acupuncture treatments. In addition, it may provide additional insights into the electrophysiological characteristics of the skin, specifically, the epidermis.

描述（由申请人提供）：根据针灸群落中的常规智慧，针灸点可以通过其电性能来区分 - 具体来说，与非针灸点相比，电阻降低，电容增加和高电位。然而，这种观点的热情是由标准电型设备所需的皮肤到电极接触引起的多个混杂因素所抑制的。只要电极接触皮肤，不可避免的是电极压力和皮肤水分之类的混杂因素，并且对从针灸点处的电读数得出的任何结论都表示怀疑。扫描开尔文探测器的最新发展使研究人员首次绕过这些限制并帮助解决这一五十年的辩论。扫描开尔文探针测量表面电势，而无需实际接触皮肤并依赖于探针和样品之间的电容耦合。我们的团队在扫描开尔文探针方面拥有丰富的经验，并在金属，空气水接口和体内人体皮肤上进行了初步研究。我们的长期目标是使用扫描开尔文探针来表征针灸点的表面潜力，并将其应用于临床环境。我们假设扫描开尔文探测器将能够定位针灸点并提供诊断信息。该建议提出了三个特定的目的，以帮助解决这一假设：（1）生理学 - 确定汗腺密度，角质层厚度和水分对皮肤表面潜力的影响； （2）针灸点 - 测量在某些针灸点处的表面电势； （3）临床应用 - 评估针刺对针灸点电势的影响。这些目标将通过早期设备修改和三个试点人类研究来解决。为了承担这项任务，我们组建了一个世界一流的多学科专家团队，这些团队跨越了物理学，生物工程，计算机科学，医学，生物学，流行病学和东亚医学领域。该项目构成了随后的，更明确的研究的基础，并极大地促进了这种最先进的技术在临床针灸和医学上的应用。 公共卫生相关性：该项目提供有关针灸点的电气性能的信息。它可能会提供有关针灸如何发挥作用的重要见解，从而提供了优化针灸治疗的方法。此外，它可能会提供有关皮肤电生理特征的更多见解，特别是表皮。

项目成果

Pulsatile hemodynamics of hypertension: systematic review of aortic input impedance.

• DOI: 10.1097/hjh.0b013e328354e81d
• 发表时间: 2012-08
• 期刊: Journal of hypertension
• 影响因子: 4.9
• 作者: Li W;Ahn AC
• 通讯作者: Ahn AC