Acupuncture has become an important treatment modality in alternative medicine, especially for pain management and nausea control. Recent neuroimaging studies have revealed that acupuncture stimulation modulates human central nervous system including cerebral limbic/paralimbic and subcortical structures. This study found the first evidence that cerebellum serves as important activation loci during the acupuncture stimulation to the Pericardium 6 acupoint (used for the management of nausea including vestibular-related motion sickness). The study provided the first evidence whereby the clinical efficacy of the acupuncture may be mediated by the cerebellar vestibular neuromatrix. The article was recognized in the Science section of the Boston Globe (March 22, 2005).

Yoo SS, Fairneny T, Chen NK, Choo SE, Panych LP, Park HW, Lee SY, Jolesz FA, Brain-computer interface using fMRI: spatial navigation by thoughts, NeuroReport. 2004; 15(10):1591-1595.

A brain-computer interface (BCI) is a way of conveying an individual's thoughts to control computer or electromechanical hardware. Capitalizing on the ability to characterize brain activity in a reproducible manner, the possibility of using real-time fMRI to interpret the spatial distribution of brain function as BCI commands was examined. We have demonstrated that brain activities associated with four distinct covert functional tasks were detected and subsequently translated into predetermined computer commands for moving four directional cursors. The study was recognized in the Science section of the Boston Globe (July 13, 2004).