Objectives: Acupuncture is a component of the complex therapeutic and healthcare system of China that has been used for more than 2500 years. Although there are many hypotheses and experimental research concerning acupuncture effects, the mechanisms underlying acupuncture effects remain poorly understood. The purpose of this study is to identify the acupuncture mechanism on brain reward circuit modulation by summarizing and reviewing the research conducted in my laboratory over the past 10 years. Methods: To explore the mechanisms between peripheral acupuncture signals and brain reward systems of acupuncture effect on addictive behaviors, we examined the projection from peripheral acupoint to brain, excitation of neurons during acupuncture stimulation, the effects of optogenetic modulation of specific brain regions on HT7 inhibition of cocaine-induced locomotion and the effect of lesion on HT7 inhibition of NAc dopamine release. Results: Stimulation of the ulnar nerve under HT7 acupoint suppressed psychomotor response to cocaine, which was abolished by disruption of the dorsal column (DC) pathway. The inhibitory effect of HT7 on cocaine-enhanced locomotion was blocked by optogenetic silencing of the mPFC (medial prefrontal cortex)-LHb (lateral habenula) and LHb-RMTg (rostromedial tegmental nucleus) circuit. In vivo extracellular recordings showed that HT7 acupuncture evoked an increase in action potentials of mPFC, LHb and RMTg neurons. HT7 acupuncture suppressed NAc dopamine release, which was blocked by electrolytic lesion of mPFC and RMTg. Conclusion: These findings suggest that there exists a pathway in the spinal cord that ascends from the periphery to the mesolimbic reward circuits (spino-mesolimbic pathway) and the activation of somatosensory input transmitted via the DC pathway can inhibit the psychomotor response to cocaine. Additionally, acupuncture recruits the mPFC-LHb and LHb-RMTg pathways to reduce the psychomotor responses enhanced by cocaine addiction.