Plenty of clinical evidence in Chinese medicine has suggested that acupuncture can improve the cognitive function of patients with stroke (Ma, 2017). Stroke is among the 43 diseases that are recommended by the WHO for acupuncture treatment. Possible mechanisms include cerebral neurological damage, cerebral small vessel disease, inflammation, neurotransmitter secretion defects, and imbalance in the generation and clearance of amyloid β. Incidence of PSCI is related to factors, such as age, education level, stroke type, lesion characteristics, and recurrence. Poststroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) is defined as the cognitive impairment that arises within six months of stroke onset, including subcortical ischemic infarction, cerebral hemorrhage, and brain degenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease. It is known as a strong predictor for functional recovery in patients with stroke, which not only affects patient's personal life, but also adds a serious burden to the family and society. Approximately 30% of stroke patients develop different degrees of cognitive impairment within three to six months of stroke onset (Cullen, O’Neill, Evans, Coen, & Lawlor, 2007). Our results suggest that cluster needling of scalp acupuncture is an effective treatment against PSCI and shed light on its application on other neurological disorders.Ĭognitive impairment is a common complication after a stroke. We reveal that applying cluster needling of scalp acupuncture on top of drug treatment can significantly improve the cognitive function and elevate the cerebral hemoglobin levels compared to patients treated with drug only. We also took the advantage of functional near-infrared spectroscopy to assess the cerebral hemoglobin levels. Cognitive function was compared between the two groups before and after treatment. Fifty six PSCI patients were randomly separated into the reference group who received drug treatment only and the treatment group who received cluster needling of scalp acupuncture on top of drug treatment.
In the present study, we assessed the efficacy of scalp acupuncture with cluster needling on PSCI patients. Acupuncture is a recommended treatment option for stroke by the World Health Organization (WHO) and has been shown to improve the cognitive function of patients with poststroke cognitive impairment (PSCI). Cognitive impairment often arises in patients suffered from stroke.
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