BackgroundRecently, increasing evidence has indicated that the primary acupuncture effects are mediated by the central nervous system. However, specific brain networks underpinning these effects remain unclear.ResultsIn the present study using fMRI, we employed a within-condition interregional covariance analysis method to investigate functional connectivity of brain networks involved in acupuncture. The fMRI experiment was performed before, during and after acupuncture manipulations on healthy volunteers at an acupuncture point, which was previously implicated in a neural pathway for pain modulation. We first identified significant fMRI signal changes during acupuncture stimulation in the left amygdala, which was subsequently selected as a functional reference for connectivity analyses. Our results have demonstrated that there is a brain network associated with the amygdala during a resting condition. This network encompasses the brain structures that are implicated in both pain sensation and pain modulation. We also found that such a pain-related network could be modulated by both verum acupuncture and sham acupuncture. Furthermore, compared with a sham acupuncture, the verum acupuncture induced a higher level of correlations among the amygdala-associated network.ConclusionOur findings indicate that acupuncture may change this amygdala-specific brain network into a functional state that underlies pain perception and pain modulation.

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Advanced traveler information systems (ATISs) help individuals make informed travel decisions. Current ATIS applications encompass a variety of delivery mechanisms, including the Internet, telephone, television, radio, variable message signs, and in-vehicle navigation devices to support decisions about destinations, travel mode, departure time, routes, parking, and trip cancellation. It is important for researchers and practitioners to review the status of ATIS technologies and to understand travelers’ access and response to current ATIS deployment. Focusing on largely public-sector delivery mechanisms, this study answers two fundamental questions: whether accessing more information sources is associated with a higher likelihood of travel decision adjustments and which technologies are more likely to elicit substantive adjustments to routine travel. These questions are answered by using a comprehensive and recent behavioral data set, collected in the Research Triangle area of North Carolina. The study generates useful knowledge about how to operate existing traveler information systems more efficiently and how to improve them in the future.