The Effect of Acupuncture on the Motor Function and White Matter Microstructure in Ischemic Stroke Patients

Evidence shows that ischemic stroke can induce brain structural reorganization. Acupuncture is advised as an adjunct to mainstream rehabilitation after stroke. However, the effectiveness of acupuncture is inconsistent among previous studies. Fourteen ischemic patients were collected and divided into two groups: conventional treatment group (CG) and acupuncture treatment group (AG). The results of a Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) and diffusion tensor imaging were collected before and after treatment. The AG exhibited a higher improvement in FMA than the CG. Repeated measures analysis of variance on diffusion data only found a significant main effect for scanning time point in all diffusion indices. In each group, a postpair t-test revealed that diffusion indices values were changed significantly after treatment intervention in the body of the corpus callosum and bilateral corticospinal tracts, the inferior longitudinal fasciculus, the inferior frontooccipital fasciculus, the superior longitudinal fasciculus, the forceps minor, the cingulum gyrus, and the thalamic radiation. However, there was no significant difference in the diffusion indices between the two groups. In conclusion, acupuncture had a better behavioral score than traditional medicine treatment. However, acupuncture did not significantly change WM in the AG compared to the CG as expected within one month after the intervention.