The Effect Of Acupuncture On Cognitive Function Of Patients With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome:an Event Related Potential Study

Objects:1.The neuropsychological test performance and event related potentials in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome were measured to assess cognitive function in chronic fatigue syndrome.2.In order to investigate the effect of acupuncture on cognitive function of chronic fatigue syndrome.The alterations in objective cognitive function were measured by neuropsychological test performance,event related potentials in individuals with chronic fatigue syndrome.Methods:1.Sixty two patients with chronic fatigue syndrome were compared with twenty four healthy controls.The responses to paced visual serial addition test(including correct rate,error rate,and reaction time),and event related potentials latencies and amplitudes in frontal,central,parietal areas(including N100,P200,N200,late processing negativity(LPN)and P300)were used to assess cognitive function objectively.2.62 participants with chronic fatigue syndrome were stratified randomly assigned either to acupuncture group(A group)or to sham-acupuncture(B group).For the A group,five acupuncture points,which were Ganshu(BL-18),Pishu(BL-20),Shenshu(BL-23),Zusanli(ST-36),,Shenmen(HT-7),Baih ui(DU-20),were selected to acupuncture.For the B group,Five non-acupoint points were chosen to acupunctured by Streitberger Placebo-needle.The acupuncture treatment comprised of a total of sixteen 30-minute sessions over a period of 4 consecutive weeks.The changes in correct rate,error rate,reaction time in PVSAT and in the latencies and amplitudes of N100,P200,N200,LPN,P300 component were compared between two groups.Results:1.Objective assessment of cognitive function in chronic fatigue syndromeIn the CFS group,both correct rate and error rate in PVSAT were significantly different from healthy participants(P<0.05),namely CFS patients had higher error rate and lower correct rate,but the reaction times between two groups were comparable((P>0.05).The repeated-measures ANOVA for N100,P200,N200,LPN and P300 revealed significant effects of ELECTRODE in N100 latency(F=15.14,P<0.0001),P200 latency(F=7.02,P<0.0001)and amplitude(F=19.99,P<0.0001),N200 amplitude(F=12.69,P<0.0001),LPN amplitude(F=12.89,P<0.0001),P300 latency(F=2.16,P=0.0277)and amplitude(F=10.37,P<0.0001)and significant effects of GROUP in P200 amplitude(F=0.72,P<0.0001)and LPN latency(F=5.41,P=0.0225).2.Effect of acupuncture on cognitive function of chronic fatigue syndromeNo significant differences were found in alterations of error rate,correct rate and reaction time between A group and B group(P>0.05).Except P200 latency found a significant GROUP ×ELECTRODE interaction effect(F=3.54,P=0.0154),neither main effect nor interaction effect was found in any event related potentials.Conclusions:1.Objective evidence obtained from neuropsychological performance and event related potentials revealed that individuals with CFS need more cognitive resource in the process of early target detection while completing a complex visual task.Impairments in central executive,characterized with slowing speed of maintaining and coordinating goal-direct information processing,is the cause of information processing efficiency deficits in CFS individuals.2.Short-term acupuncture therapy can not improve impaired cognitive function in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.