Modulatory effects of acupuncture on brain networks in mild cognitive impairment patients

作     者：Ting-ting Tan Dan Wang Ju-ke Huang Xiao-mei Zhou Xu Yuan Jiu-ping Liang Liang Yin Hong-liang Xie Xin-yan Jia Jiao Shi Fang Wang Hao-bo Yang Shang-jie Chen 

作者机构：Department of Rehabilitation Medicine Shenzhen Baoan Hospital Southern Medical University Shenzhen Guangdong Province China Shenzhen Baoan Hospital Southern Medical University Shenzhen Guangdong Province China Department of Radiologgy Shenzhen Baoan Hospital Southern Medical University Shenzhen Guangdong Province China Department of Neurology Shenzhen Baoan Hospital Southern Medical University Shenzhen Guangdong Province China Tianjin Medical University Tianjin China 

出 版 物：《Neural Regeneration Research》 (中国神经再生研究（英文版）)

年 卷 期：2017年第12卷第2期

页      面：250-258页

核心收录：

学科分类：1005[医学-中医学] 100512[医学-针灸推拿学] 10[医学] 

基　　金：supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.81173354 a grant from the Science and Technology Plan Project of Guangdong Province of China,No.2013B021800099 a grant from the Science and Technology Plan Project of Shenzhen City of China,No.JCYJ20150402152005642 

主　　题：nerve regeneration mild cognitive impairment Alzheimer's disease neuroimaging resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging brain network acupuncture Tiaoshen Yizhi neural regeneration 

摘      要：Functional magnetic resonance imaging has been widely used to investigate the effects of acupuncture on neural activity. However, most functional magnetic resonance imaging studies have focused on acute changes in brain activation induced by acupuncture. Thus, the time course of the therapeutic effects of acupuncture remains unclear. In this study, 32 patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment were randomly divided into two groups, where they received either Tiaoshen Yizhi acupuncture or sham acupoint acupuncture. The needles were either twirled at Tiaoshen Yizhi acupoints, including Sishencong（EX-HN1）, Yintang（EX-HN3）, Neiguan（PC6）, Taixi（KI3）, Fenglong（ST40）, and Taichong（LR3）, or at related sham acupoints at a depth of approximately 15 mm, an angle of ± 60°, and a rate of approximately 120 times per minute. Acupuncture was conducted for 4 consecutive weeks, five times per week, on weekdays. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging indicated that connections between cognition-related regions such as the insula, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, thalamus, inferior parietal lobule, and anterior cingulate cortex increased after acupuncture at Tiaoshen Yizhi acupoints. The insula, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and hippocampus acted as central brain hubs. Patients in the Tiaoshen Yizhi group exhibited improved cognitive performance after acupuncture. In the sham acupoint acupuncture group, connections between brain regions were dispersed, and we found no differences in cognitive function following the treatment. These results indicate that acupuncture at Tiaoshen Yizhi acupoints can regulate brain networks by increasing connectivity between cognition-related regions, thereby improving cognitive function in patients with mild cognitive impairment.