Application and exploration of fNIRS in brain function mechanism of acupuncture against insomnia

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is predominantly employed to investigate the atypical response characteristics of the cerebral cortex in neurological disorders. Recently, this technology has been applied to examine the neural mechanisms underlying the use of acupuncture in the treatment of insomnia. This article provides a comprehensive review and analysis of the current applications of fNIRS in the contexts of sleep-wake cycles, insomnia, and acupuncture-based interventions for insomnia. The findings indicate that existing research predominantly focuses on the prefrontal cortex, with limited studies addressing the temporal, occipital, and parietal lobes. fNIRS can be integrated with various data analysis methodologies or multimodal brain functional imaging techniques to investigate the regulatory effects of acupuncture on functional connectivity both among and within brain regions, as well as on the efficiency of information transmission. This approach may elucidate the neural mechanisms of acupuncture in combating insomnia from diverse perspectives and offer an enhanced framework for the diagnosis and treatment of insomnia.