Construction and analysis of brain functional network of magnetic stimulation acupoints based on graph theory

New developments in integrating Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) in combination with acupuncture from traditional Chinese medicine, and applying graph theory to neuroscience, are opening new frontiers in brain research and neuromagnetic stimulation. In this article, brain functional networks following magnetic stimulation at the Guangming acupoint and the mock acupoint were constructed based on the quantification of the correlation of multi-channel Electroencephalogram (EEG) signals. Results show that, compared with the results under stimulation at the mock acupoint, brain functional connections significantly increase in the occipital lobe and the frontal lobe under stimulation at the Guangming acupoint. In combination with graph theory based on complex network theory and statistical T-tests, we found significant differences in the brain functional network parameters between magnetic stimulation at the Guangming acupoint and the mock acupoint (p < 0.05). Therefore, it can be concluded that magnetic stimulation of the Guangming acupoint can improve the brain functional network’s global and local efficiency, shorten the information transmission path, and achieve more efficient information transmission within the brain.