Abstract: Objectives: Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technology was used to study changes to the resting state blood flow in the brains of patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA) before and after treatment with moxibustion at the acupoint of the left Dubi (ST 35) and to probe the cerebral mechanism underlying the effect of moxibustion. Methods: The resting state brain function of 30 patients with left KOA was scanned with fMRI before and after treatment with moxibustion. The analytic methods of fractional amplitude of low frequency fluctuation (fALFF) and regional homogeneity (ReHo) were used to observe changes in resting state brain function. Results: The fALFF values of the right cerebrum, extra-nucleus, left cerebellum, left cerebrum and white matter of patients after moxibustion treatment were higher than before treatment, and the fALFF values of the precentral gyrus, frontal lobe and occipital lobe were lower than before treatment (P < 0.05, K > or = 85). The ReHo values of the thalamus, extra-nucleus and parietal lobe of patients were much higher than those before moxibustion treatment, and the ReHo values of the right cerebrum, left cerebrum and frontal lobe were lower than before treatment (P < 0.05, K > or = 85). Conclusion: The influence of moxibustion on obvious changes in brain regions basically conforms to the way that pain and warmth is transmitted in the body, and the activation of sensitive systems in the body may be objective evidence of channel transmission. The regulation of brain function by moxibustion is not in a single brain region but rather in a network of many brain regions.

Key words: Moxibustion; Osteoarthritis, knee; Magnetic resonance imaging; Fractional amplitude of low frequency fluctuation; Regional homogeneity