CONCEPTUAL STUDY ON APPLICATION OF fMRI TO OBSERVE THE PHARMACODYNAMIC EFFECT OF NASYA & BASTI ON BRAIN
*Dr. Bhairavi Suresh Shah and Dr. Neha Milind Sahare
ABSTRACT
Action and the clinical efficacy of each Panchakarma procedures are well explained in Ayurvedic literature and practiced thoroughly since long; but mechanism of action of Panchakarma procedures is still unexplored in modern perspective. Nasya and Basti treatment among the five, particularly have effect on the brain as can be understood by studying pharmacodynamics of these two procedures with the help of recent advancement in technology. Functional MRI (fMRI) is a new emerging interventional technique to study the metabolic functioning of brain. This non invasive technique studies the blood flow in brain (oxygenated haemoglobin molecule ratio to deoxygenated haemoglobin molecule) to detect the area of activity. fMRI also includes pharmacological functional MRI (phMRI) which is proved to be useful tool in monitoring changes in brain function resulting from drug administration / treatment. Although it is not technically a marker of target engagement, an fMRI signal can provide indirect evidence of target engagement if a biologically plausible link can be established between the fMRI response and the molecular target. Since pharmacodynamic mechanism of Nasya and Basti also includes Neural stimulation pathways, this can be well analyzed and unsterstood in detail with the help of fMRI and thus can pave way for the globe to understand and accept the effectiveness of Panchakarma. In present study, the role of fMRI to evaluate the functional CNS effect of Basti & Nasya treatment will be discussed in detail.
Keywords: Basti, Nasya, fMRI, Pharmacodynamics, CNS.
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