Nature - Acupuncture for mice
This study reports on the following experiment: give mice pain in a specific area, then treat that area with acupuncture. After an hour, test their level of pain, and then monitor a specific level of adenosine in the mice. Adenosine is a "neuromodulator" whose receptors act to dull pain and is commonly produced when tissue is damaged. The results of the experiment were that mice treated with acupuncture had increased adenosine and less pain than the control. There was no effect when acupuncture was applied to pain-free sites. One scientist who studies adenosine pointed out that caffeine can block adenosine receptors, thus possibly confounding studies on humans when they also ingest caffeine.
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