[A cerebral functional definition on the specificity of acupoints, needling sensation and association of acupoints based on the "acupoints-brain relation hypothesis?].

"Acupoints-brain relation hypothesis" is put forward according to the combination of cerebral functional imaging techniques, positron emission tomography (PET), single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and the studies of the essence of acupoints. Analysis based on the living state of human being, the cerebral function and the objective images and data will result in: (1) a model of cerebral functional imaging for the definition of acupoints, any points that coincide the basic factors of the model can be definited as an acupoint; (2) a model of cerebral functional imaging for needling sensation, any cerebral functional changes caused by needling coincide the basic factors of the model can be definited as needling sensation; (3) a study on characteristics and regular patterns of association of the acupoints selected along channels.