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: 7706971
• 负责人: Andrew C Ahn
• 金额: $ 22.26万
• 依托单位: HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL
• 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 2012-02-28
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/7706971
• 关键词: Acupuncture Points; Acupuncture procedure; Address; Affect; Agar; Air; Animal Model; Area; Arts; 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）：根据针灸界的传统观点，针灸点可通过其电特性来区分，具体来说，与非针灸点相比，电阻抗降低、电容增加和电位升高。然而，这种观点的热情因标准皮肤电设备所需的皮肤与电极接触而产生的多种混杂因素而受到抑制。只要电极接触皮肤，电极压力和皮肤湿度等混杂因素就不可避免，并且会让人对针灸点电读数得出的任何结论产生怀疑。扫描开尔文探针的最新发展使研究人员第一次能够绕过这些限制并帮助解决这个长达五十年的争论。扫描开尔文探针无需实际接触皮肤即可测量表面电势，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，并对金属、空气-水界面和体内人体皮肤进行了初步研究。我们的长期目标是使用扫描开尔文探针来表征穴位的表面电位并将其应用于临床环境。我们假设扫描开尔文探针将能够定位穴位并提供诊断信息。该提案提出了三个具体目标来帮助解决这一假设：（1）生理学——确定汗腺密度、角质层厚度和水分对皮肤表面电位的影响； (2) 穴位 - 测量选定穴位的表面电位； (3) 临床应用——评估针刺对穴位电位的影响。这些目标将通过早期的设备修改和三项试点人体研究来实现。为了承担这项任务，我们组建了一支世界一流的多学科专家团队，涵盖物理学、生物工程、计算机科学、医学、生物学、流行病学和东亚医学等领域。该项目为后续更明确的研究奠定了基础，并极大地促进了这一最先进技术在临床针灸和医学中的应用。 公共健康相关性：该项目提供有关穴位电特性的信息。它可以提供有关针灸穴位如何发挥作用的重要见解，从而提供优化针灸治疗的方法。此外，它还可以提供对皮肤（特别是表皮）电生理特征的更多见解。