以往认为头穴和体穴传导与调控途径一样，故对头针作用机制缺乏基本研究。但头针治疗脑源性疾病的优势使我们考虑是否存在特异调控通路？头针穴位主要由三叉神经支配，而颅内感觉传入、特别是供应脑皮层营养的软脑膜及血管也由三叉神经支配和参与调节。脑膜与脑组织间新近发现一种“接触脑脊液神经元(触液神经元)”，它沟通头部–三叉神经–脑膜–脑脊液–触液神经元–脑的通畅联系，可能形成头针–脑联络的独特调控方式。我们根据神经生物学的新近进展，采用形态、机能和药理学研究方法，探讨头针对脑源性疾病的优势作用是否通过三叉神经节第一级神经元轴突反射（其轴突分支可能分别支配头部穴位和对脑组织有营养、活性物质直接调控作用的软脑膜）和三叉神经脊束核第二级神经元（头面部穴位和脑内组织的传入通过突触前背根反射和突触后神经源性反应和会聚性相互作用）的反射性“捷径”通路发挥效应，以此阐述头针对脑组织有着天然优势的调控和治疗作用。

The effects of scalp-acupuncture and somatic acupuncture were thought to share the same regulation pathway and its basic research has rarely been reported. Whereas advantages of scalp-acupuncture for cerebral diseases make us reconsider if there exist a possible specific scalp-acupuncture neuronal pathway. Scalp acupoints are innervated by the trigeminal nerve, which is coincident with the intracranial sensory afferents as well as the leptomeninges arteriole nourishing cerebral cortex, having the participation of trigeminal nerve branches. In recent years, cerebrospinal fluid-contacting neurons (CSF-CN) between the brain and meninges have been found, which communicate in the connection pathway as trigeminus-meninges-cerebrospinal fluid--CSF-CN-brain, representing a new possible network between the scalp-acupuncture and the brain. Based on existing reports, our present study aims to investigate if specific advantages of scalp-acupuncture for cerebral diseases are mediated by the shortcut of axon reflexes from the primary neurons in trigeminal ganglion (axons of these neurons respectively innervate scalp acupoints and cerebral pia matter which nourishes brain tissue and regulates bioactive substances) and from the second neurons in the spinal trigeminal nucleus (afferents from scalp acupoints and the brain communicate and converge via presynaptic dorsal root reflex and postsynaptic neurogenic reaction), via morphological, functional and pharmacological means. We elucidate the mechanism of scalp-acupuncture as it has the native shortcut and convergence in the regulation of brain functioning.