Modulation effects of different treatments
pain, KOA knee pain, KOA
BRAIN, KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS, CORTEX
After longitudinal VA treatment, KOA knee pain subjects had increased vlPAG rs‐FC with the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), and bilateral angular (Figure vlPAG rs‐FC alternations in different treatment groups and comparison between acupuncture (verum + sham) and celecoxib, placebo, and waiting list control. (A) Brain regions showed vlPAG rs‐FC increased (post‐ minus pre‐treatment) in the verum acupuncture treatment group. (B) Brain regions showed the vlPAG rs‐FC increased (post‐ minus pre‐treatment) in the acupuncture treatment group (verum + sham). (C–E) Brain regions showed greater vlPAG rs‐FC increase (post‐ minus pre‐treatment) in the acupuncture treatment group (verum + sham) compared to the celecoxib group, placebo group, and waiting list group. Increased rs‐FC between the right vlPAG and right DLPFC/angular/precuneus after acupuncture (verum + sham) treatment was associated with reduced KOA knee pain intensity in patients who received acupuncture treatment. DLPFC, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex; KOA, knee osteoarthritis; L, left side; R, right side; rs‐FC, resting state functional connectivity; SF‐MPQ, short‐form McGill pain questionnaire; vlPAG, ventrolateral periaqueductal gray. *percentage change means post‐treatment minus pre‐treatment/pre‐treatment.According to the absence of significant variation in clinical outcomes and vlPAG rs‐FC alterations between VA and SA groups (Table As additional controls, the previously mentioned analysis was performed using the seeds from the ventricular aqueduct near the vlPAG and from the fourth ventricle. No outcome was detected, which additionally validated the outcomes of vlPAG rs‐FC in this investigation.