David E. Bresler

An experimental evaluation of auricular diagnosis: The somatotopic mapping of musculoskeletal pain at ear acupuncture points

&NA; The present study was designed to experimentally evaluate the claims by French and Chinese acupuncturists that a somatotopic mapping of the body is represented upon the external ear. According to this system of diagnosis, areas of the auricle where there is increased electrical conductivity and heightened tenderness to touch correspond to specific areas of the body where there is some pathological condition. The hypothetical map of different bodily regions appears on the external ear as an inverted fetus, with the head represented towards the lower lobule, the hands and feet represented at the uppermost portion of the auricle, and the body in between. Forty patients were medically examined to determine areas of their body where there was musculoskeletal pain. Each patient was then draped with a sheet to conceal any visible physical problems. The physician conducting the auricular diagnosis had no prior knowledge of the patients medical condition, but simply examined the patients ear for areas of elevated skin conductivity or tenderness. The concordance between the established medical diagnosis and the auricular diagnoses was 75.2%. Both quantified readings of electrical current flow and subjective ratings of dermal tenderness were statistically significant in arriving at accurate diagnoses. These results thus support the hypothesis that there is a somatotopic organization of the body represented upon the human auricle.

Tests of emotional behavior in rats following depletion of norepinephrine, of serotonin, or of both

Groups of rats were depleted of norepinephrine (using 6-OHDA), of serotonin (using chronic PCPA), or of both, and were tested on a variety of behavioral tasks. 6-OHDA treated rats and PCPA treated rats showed different and in many cases opposed behavioral syndromes, but animals which received both drugs generally showed the greatest behavioral disruptions. Animals receiving PCPA showed decreased locomotion (freezing) in quiet novel environments but increased locomotion when stimulated, as well as increased shock elicited aggression. Rats receiving 6-OHDA showed an initially decreased rate of rearing in open field and decreased sucrose consumption when food deprived. The results are discussed in terms of the reserpine model of depression.

Three Essential Factors in Effective Acupuncture Therapy

Three essential factors for achieving effective therapeutic results utilizing acupuncture are described: (1) Immune/inflammatory reactions are mobilized when any area of the skin is sufficiently stimulated. (2) Peripheral neural stimulation occurs when specific acupuncture loci are mechanically, electrically, chemically, or thermally activated. Precise stimulation of specific loci (i.e. peripheral neural receptors) may modulate central nervous system regulation of specific physiological functions in the body. (3) Psychological support is well known to be an important factor in all healing experiences, and that includes acupuncture therapy. The authors suggest that the most effective application of acupuncture involves sufficient stimulation of properly selected and precisely localized acupuncture loci combined with a dedicated concern for health that is clearly communicated to patients.

Learning in Fish with Transplanted Brain Tissue

Material taken from fish embryos during gastrulation was implanted at prospective tectal sites in host embryos of the same age and species. When mature, the hosts were trained in a series of habit reversals. Two of six animals showed progressive improvement in reversal (a phenomenon not typically found in fish, but characteristic of higher animals), two showed unusually few errors, and two behaved normally. Differences in performance were correlated with differences brain structure.

Guided Imagery: Healing through the Mind’s Eye

The use of personal mental images to diagnose and modify bodily processes is an ancient part of the healing tradition. The healer/ physician/shaman/priest has always utilized the latent power of the imagination to alter the body, and many traditional health care systems have focused on the amazing power of the mind to promote the healing process (Beecher, 1955; Frank, 1975). With recent demonstrations that the autonomic nervous system can be modified through learning and various cognitive strategies, contemporary health practitioners have also begun to explore the applications of therapeutic guided imagery.

Exaggerated avoidance of novel stimulation in rats partially recovered from central norepinephrine damage

Rats in which central norepinephrine lesions are made with 6-OHDA and a recovery period allowed show a behavioral syndrome distinct from controls, from rats with more extensive norepinephrine damage (lesioned with 6-OHDA, allowed to recover, and relesioned), and from rats with general depletion of serotonin (chronic PCPA). These rats administered central 6-OHDA injections and then allowed a recovery period rear less in open field than all other groups and are characterized by an exaggerated avoidance of novel visual stimulation in light onset and light escape tests. It is proposed that this reflects the hyperresponsivity of partially repaired, supersensitive norepinephrine circuitry to novel or intense stimulation.

A shocking grid for pigeons

Footshock is reliably delivered to pigeons standing on a surface which functions like a conventional rat grid.