额叶皮层是否参与针刺镇痛作用尚无一致看法。早期的工作指出:切除全部额叶皮层的家兔

其针刺效应依旧存在。因此

他们认为额叶皮层不参与针刺镇痛作用。徐维等人在人体上比较皮层完整结构与针The present work was to study the descending infleunce of the frontal lobe on noxious response of the neurons of the preoptic area(POA)with microelectrodes for extracellular recording in rabbits.Results were as follows: 1.54 discharging units of POA of 22 rabbits were recorded by peripheral stimulation

among which 34 units(63%)showed excitatory response to noxious stimulation and an increase of discharge frequeny;xhereas

9 units (16.6%)showed inhibitory response and decreased discharge frequency;and the remaining 11 units were uninfluence. 2.Out of 29 noxious excitatory units after stimulation of frontal lobe

there were 19 units(66%)of which noxious excitatory response was inhibited and discharge frequency(p<0.01)as compared with the discharge frequency before stimulation.There were 4 units of which the discharge disappared afttr the stimulation ontthe frontal lobe

but gradually recovered from the stimulatiom;whereas

there were 3 units(10%)which showed an increase of discha- rge

aand 7 units(24%)appearing to have no obvious changes after stimulation of the frontal lobe. 3.Among the 9 noxious inhibitory units

the noxious inhibitory response was increased in 5 units

and decreased in 4 units. Results of the experiment indicated that the frontal lobe might have a descending modulating effect on noxious response of the neurons of POA

and possessed mainly an inhibitory effect。