Effects Of Acupuncture On Brain Activity In Ischemic Stroke Patients----An Regional Homogeneity Analysis

Objects:Taking patients with ischemic stroke and healthy volunteers as the research subjects, compare the abnormal sites of functional strength in local brain between patients and healthy person, then observe and compare the change of local functional strength before and after acupuncture treatment and traditional treatment through using resting-state fMRl technology and regional homogeneity method. The research expored the central mechanisms of ischemic stroke from the perspective of brain function, aiming to provide new ideas and scientific evidences for acupuncture to treat ischemic stroke.Methods:We have recrutered 21 patients with ischemic stroke, and divided them into acupuncture treatment group (B group) and traditional treatment group (C group), and chose another 15 healthy volunteers as normal control group (A group). All subjects in the groups were accepted fMRI scanning, of which in the A group were scanned once, while after 4 courses of treatment, subjects in B and C groups were rescanned. Observe the dynamic change of regional homogeneity of the whole brain for both B and C groups before and after treatment, and compare A group with B and C group. NDS、FMA、MBI scale ananlysis are used to patients with ischemic stroke before and after treatment. Analyze and compare the results of fMRI scanning and NDS、FMA、 MBI scale index, aiming at explore the brain mechanisms and the brain function influence for acupuncture to treat ischemic stroke.Results:1. Results for clinical evaluation scales:①About intragroup comparision both B and C groups:the index of the NDS decreased significantly (P<0.01); and the FMA and MBI increased (P<0.01), there was significant diffcrcnce statistically between before and after treatment for the patients with ischemic stroke.②About intergroup comparision with B and C groups:There was no significant difference between B and C group before treatment as for the indexes of NDS、FMA and MBI (P>0.05); After the treatment, there was significant diffcrcnce statistically as for the indexes of NDS、FMA and MBI (P<0.01).2. Results of rs-fMRI:①Before treatment, comparing with healthy persons (A group), the abnormality of regional homogeneity patients with ischemic stroke occurred in many encephalic regions for patients with ischemic stroke (both B and C groups), increase in Frontal_Inf_R, IPL_R, Precuneus_R and Cercbclum in patients(P<0.05), and decrease in Cingulum_Mid(P<0.05).②Acupuncture treatment group (B group) compared before and after treatment: patients’regional homogeneity increase in Frontal_Sup_R, Temporal_Mid_L, Precuneus_R, PostcentraI_L/R, Cercbclum, Cingulum before treatment (P<0.05); and increase in PrecentraI_L, BA6, IPL_L, Frontal_Sup_L, Temporal_Mid_L/R, Precuneus_L and Cercbclum_L after treatment (P<0.01).③Traditional treatment group (C group) compared before and after treatment: patients’regional homogeneity increase in Frontal_Sup_R, Temporal_Mid_R and IPL_L before treatment (P<0.01); and increase in PrecentraI_L, BA6, IPL_L, Frontal_Sup_L/R and Temporal_Sup_L after treatment (P<0.01).Conclusion:1. The results suggest that acupuncture treatment for ischemic stroke has been shown to be more effective compared to traditional treatment only.2. Comparing with patients with ischemic stroke and healthy person, brain areas that ReHo values have increased are mainly in right side. The reason is that unaffected brain areas participated in reorganization and compensation of the brain function.3. After acupuncture treatment, the motor function and emotion function obstacles of patients are improved. The reason is that some motor and emotion brain areas are motivated after acupuncture treatment.4. After the course of treatment, the higher ReHo values of the brain areas are main in the affected brain side both in acupuncture treatment group and traditional treatment group, which is that the reorganization increases in affected brain areas, while the dependence on compensation of unaffected brain areas decrease.5. Comparing with acupuncture and traditional treatment, the scope of the activated brain areas by acupuncture treatment is much wider, and the intensity is more apparent. The result suggested that acupuncture treatment has synergistic effect on traditional treatment.