The brain is probably the most complex organ in the human body. It has been the hot spot and direction of brain science research all over the world to deeply study the pathogenesis of various kinds of brain diseases and find effective treatment methods. Acupuncture is a nonpharmacological therapy of traditional Chinese medicine originating from ancient clinical practice. The research on the treatment of brain diseases by acupuncture has been constantly enriched and updated with the promotion of interdisciplinary research. In order to account for the current achievements in the field of acupuncture for brain diseases, this article reviews it in terms of conception, application, and exploration. Based on the literature review, we found that in the past decades, acupuncture has received widespread attention worldwide and many literatures have reported the clinical efficacy and underlying mechanisms of acupuncture in the treatment of brain diseases. Presently, the conception, application, and exploration of acupuncture in the treatment of brain diseases have evolved from empirical medicine to evidence-based medicine and precision medicine, and are experiencing a deeper understanding of the information about acupuncture regulating the brain function based on interdisciplinary research.
脑是人体最为复杂的器官，深入研究各类脑病的发病机制并寻找有效的治疗方法，已成为世界各国脑科学研究的热点和方向。针刺作为一种起源于古代临床实践的中医非药物疗法，其在学科交叉影响下关于脑病的研究不断被丰富和更新。为反映近年来针刺治疗脑病的研究进展，本文试从理念、应用和探索三方面对该领域进行综述。基于文献回顾，我们发现，在过去的几十年中，针刺治疗脑病受到世界范围内的广泛关注，大量文献报道了针刺治疗脑病的临床疗效及关于这些疗效的潜在机制。目前，针刺治疗脑病的理念、应用和探索已从经验医学跨越到向循证医学和精准医学的演变，并正在经历着基于跨学科研究对针刺调节脑功能信息的更深层次理解。.
Keywords: acupuncture; brain diseases; brain science; review; traditional Chinese medicine; 中医; 综述; 脑病; 脑科学; 针刺.
© 2022 American Association for Anatomy.