Automated syringe driver for acupoint injection in functional MRI studies: a case for quantified point injection in neuroimaging studies of acupuncture

The investigation of proposed acupuncture models is experiencing increasing interest particularly since the inception of functional neuroimaging in the early 1990s, but difficulty in providing acceptable controls has been an ongoing limitation. The use of titrated stimulation to generate a dose response is implied in the nature of the stimulus and the timing of the response. To address the complexity of delivering an accurate stimulus during an imaging study while simultaneously maintaining synchrony and recording stimulus parameters, stimulus delivery needs to be an automated task. This report presents the design and general description of a system capable of delivering acupoint stimulation by injection of precisely timed and measured saline doses while simultaneously interfaced to biomonitoring or neuroimaging instruments. The results of instrument validation in a clinical environment are presented, along with a discussion of the usefulness and limitations of the device.