Electrical Potential at Acupuncture Points: Using a Novel Biokelvin Probe

描述(申请人提供)：根据针刺界的传统智慧，针灸穴位可以通过其电学特性来区分-具体地说，与非针灸穴位相比，电阻抗降低，电容增加，电势升高。然而，对这一观点的热情受到了标准电皮设备所要求的皮肤对电极接触所产生的多重混杂因素的影响。只要电极接触到皮肤，电极压力和皮肤水分等混杂因素就不可避免，并使人怀疑从穴位的电读数得出的任何结论。扫描开尔文探头的最新发展使研究人员第一次绕过了这些限制，并帮助解决了这一长达50年的争论。扫描开尔文探头无需实际接触皮肤即可测量表面电势，并依赖于探头和样本之间的电容耦合。我们的团队在扫描开尔文探头方面拥有丰富的经验，并在金属、空气-水界面和活体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头将能够定位穴位并提供诊断信息。这项建议提出了三个具体目标来帮助解决这一假说：(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)针灸穴位--测量选定穴位的表面电位；(3)临床应用--评估针刺对穴位电势的影响。这些目标将通过早期设备改进和三项试验性人体研究来实现。为了承担这项任务，我们组建了一支世界级的多学科专家团队，涵盖物理、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。 公共卫生相关性：该项目提供有关穴位电学特性的信息。它可能为针灸穴位的功能提供重要的见解，从而为优化针灸治疗提供方法。此外，它还可以提供对皮肤电生理特征的更多洞察力，特别是表皮。

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.