Electroacupuncture combined with cognitive rehabilitation outperforms cognitive rehabilitation alone in treating post-stroke cognitive impairment: a randomized controlled trial

作者：Yi‐Sha Guo, Tingting Sun, Fengxi Qiu, Xueyi Li, Wei Cui, Zhenhua Liao, Jiajia Yao · 发表于：Frontiers in Neurology · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.3389/fneur.2025.1507475 · 被引用次数：8 · 研究领域：Advanced Neuroimaging Techniques and Applications、Functional Brain Connectivity Studies、Acupuncture Treatment Research Studies

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a 12-week intervention combining electroacupuncture (EA) with conventional cognitive rehabilitation (CR) on cognitive recovery and brain network topological properties in stroke patients. Thirty-four post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) patients were randomly assigned to either an EA + CR group or a CR-only group, with both undergoing five weekly interventions for 12 weeks. Cognitive assessments and Diffusion Tensor Imaging tests were performed pre- and post-intervention. Primary outcomes included the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Digit Span Test (DST), Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AVLT-H), and Aphasia Screening Scale. Secondary outcomes measured brain network global and nodal properties. The EA + CR group showed significant improvements in MoCA ( p < 0.001), AVLT-H ( p = 0.004), and in areas like naming ( p = 0.022), attention ( p < 0.001), and delayed recall ( p < 0.001). Local brain network metrics, such as clustering coefficients (Cp) and local efficiency (Eloc), were significantly higher ( p < 0.05) in the EA + CR group, though global efficiency (Eglob) was unchanged. Improvements in Eloc were positively correlated with MoCA scores ( r = 0.0716, p = 0.018). Specific brain regions, including the medial and paracentral cingulate gyrus, inferior temporal gyrus, and left supramarginal gyrus, exhibited significant nodal property differences, suggesting that EA may enhance cognitive recovery b...