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Acupuncture Modulates Disrupted Whole-Brain Network after Ischemic Stroke: Evidence Based on Graph Theory Analysis
Xiao Han1, He Jin1, Kuangshi Li1
1Department of Neurology and Stroke Center, Dongzhimen Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China.
Neural Plasticity
|September 14, 2020
Summary
Acupuncture can modulate disrupted brain networks after ischemic stroke. This study found acupuncture improved network efficiency in stroke patients, offering insights into functional reorganization mechanisms.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Medical Imaging
- Rehabilitation Medicine
Background:
- Stroke frequently disrupts whole-brain network function.
- Acupuncture is known to modulate large-scale functional networks in healthy individuals.
- The impact of acupuncture on post-stroke brain networks remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of acupuncture on large-scale functional brain networks in patients with ischemic stroke.
- To explore the potential of acupuncture in modulating disrupted brain network patterns post-stroke.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to assess brain networks in 26 stroke patients and healthy controls.
- Graph theory analysis was applied to evaluate whole-brain network properties, including small-worldness and efficiency.
- Data were collected in resting states and after acupuncture intervention.
Main Results:
- Stroke patients exhibited reduced network efficiency (small-worldness, global and local efficiency) compared to controls.
- Acupuncture intervention improved clustering coefficient and local efficiency in stroke patients.
- No significant impact on small-worldness or global efficiency was observed post-acupuncture.
Conclusions:
- The post-stroke brain network shows a tendency towards randomness and reduced efficiency.
- Acupuncture demonstrates a capacity to modulate disrupted whole-brain network patterns following subcortical ischemic stroke.
- Findings suggest acupuncture may play a role in functional reorganization of post-stroke brain networks.
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