EEG and eyeblink response to different acupuncture modalities:  preliminary results from four pilot studies
© David Mayor (University of Hertfordshire) and Tony Steffert (Open University)
B.  OUR RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1.   How do the EEG & EBR respond to stimulation at different acupoints?
2.   How do the EEG & EBR respond to different modalities of acupuncture? 
3.   How do the EEG & EBR respond to electrical stimulation at different
frequencies?
4.   In particular, does stimulation ‘drive’ the EEG or blinking at 10 Hz more
than 2.5 Hz? 
David Mayor, acupuncture practitioner        Tony Steffert, qEEG specialist
www.welwynacupuncture.co.uk                                    www.qeeg.co.uk 
davidmayor@welwynacupuncture.co.uk                      tony@qeeg.co.uk 
D.  OUR RESULTS
EEG (Pilot 1, N=7)
• Stimulation on the Right resulted in greater relative spectral power than on the Left * 
• Stimulation of ST362 resulted in greater relative spectral power than at LI42 *
C.  OUR PROTOCOL 
(All interventions in balanced order)
Pilots 1-3
Points: LI4 to LI4 (LI42), ST362, Left or Right LI4 to ST36
Parameters: 2.5 Hz or 10 Hz (256 μs)
Modalities:  manual (MA), electro (EA), transcutaneous (TEAS)
Pilot 4
Left or Right ear (shenmen, concha), 2.5 Hz or 10 Hz, TEAS 
“I think you’ll find it’s the actual point that’s causing me to blink 
– every time it fires off in Colon 4” 
“I felt the blinking started when the electrical stimulation started”
(Study participants)    
EBR (Acupoint results)
Pilot 2 (N=12)
• Mean EBR was higher during stimulation on the Left than on the Right, 
but only after 10 minutes of stimulation
• Mean EBR was higher during ST362 than LI42 stimulation (for MA and EA) 
[See top row of upper right Figure]
Pilot 3 (N=4)
• Mean EBR was higher during stimulation on the Left than on the Right 
during first MA and EA treatments in each session, but lower during second MA and EA         
(and both TEAS) treatments  
• Mean EBR was higher during LI42 than ST362 stimulation during first treatments in each 
session, but lower during second treatments (MA, EA, TEAS) 
[See bottom row of upper right Figure] 
Pilot 4 (N=1)
• Mean EBR was higher during TEAS on the Left than on the Right ear
Detailed information available at www.qeeg.co.uk/electroacupuncture/eablink.htm
EBR (Modality results)
Pilot 2
• EBR increased more with EA than MA *
• EBR increased more with 20 minutes than 5 minutes of EA *
Pilot 3
• EBR during EA usually increased compared to during prior MA *
• EBR decreased again after EA *
• EBR is usually greater for TEAS than MA [See lower right Figure]
• Blinks occurred with less delay following pulses during 10 Hz than 2.5 Hz TEAS 
(timescales normalised) * [See Figures on left]
Asterisked results (*) show statistical significance
“I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead;
I lift my lids and all is born again.”
Sylvia Plath (Mad Girl’s Love Song, 1951)
A.  Why EEG & EBR?
• Encephalography (EEG) records electrical activity on the scalp, 
and is useful for investigating rapidly changing cortical brain states
• Eyeblink rate (EBR) is a marker for central dopamine function, 
and is also inversely correlated with parasympathetic activity
E.  OUR CONCLUSIONS
• EEG and EBR respond differently to MA, EA and TEAS at different acupoints
• EEG and EBR changes are sometimes parallel, sometimes opposite
• ‘Dosage’/order effects suggest that EA has a greater effect on dopaminergic function or arousal than MA
• Blink may be facilitated more by 10 Hz than by 2.5 Hz TEAS 
F.  WHERE NEXT?
These findings need to be replicated and extended:
• Are results similar at other acupoints?
• What are the effects of interventions such as laser acupuncture?
• Does the yinyang model help to explain our results? 
• Does baseline EBR indicate responsiveness to acupuncture?
• Does acupuncture have a ‘balancing’ effect on EBR?
Increased EBR Decreased EBR
STATE
Corneal dryness Downward gaze
Drowsiness, sleep deprivation Visual attention
Higher baseline arousal Following stress
TRAIT
Anxiety
Cognitive flexibility Convergent thinking
Neuroticism, introversion?
PATHOLOGY
Panic disorder
Schizophrenia (positive 
symptoms)
Schizophrenia (negative 
symptoms)
Other psychiatric disorders
Huntington’s disease Repetitive behaviour disorder
Focal dystonia Parkinsonism
Autism, Fragile X syndrome
MEDICATION
Oral contraception Cocaine dependence
9 time slots, all eyes closed (EC) except for EO1 and EO2 (eyes open)  
EO1 MA1 EA1 EA2 EA3 EA4 MA2 EO2
EC EO1 TEAS1 TEAS2 TEAS3 TEAS4 TEAS5 TEAS6 EO2
Pilots 2-4. All slots EO
EO1 MA1 EA1 EO2 MA2 EA2 EO3 TEAS1 EO4 TEAS2 EO5
EO1 TEAS1 EO2 TEAS2 EO3 MA1 EA1 EO4 MA2 EA2 EO5
EO1 TEAS1 TEAS2 TEAS3 TEAS4
Pilot 1.
Pilot 2.
Pilot 3.
or
Pilot 4.
Blink types:  o Normal,  o saccade,  o double 
EBR correlations from the literature
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 The EEG electrodes 
EEG traces showing TEAS pulse artefacts (10 Hz left, 2.5 Hz right ).
Vertical blue lines indicate pulse-to-blink delays.  
Pulse-to-blink delays for 22 pulses. Mean delay (normalised) 
is significantly less for 10 Hz TEAS.