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Updated: Jul 30, 2026
Monitoring Acupuncture Effects on Human Brain by fMRI
Published on: April 8, 2010
Effect of acupuncture on the gait disturbance and hemodynamic changes in the prefrontal cortex: a study protocol for
Zhenmei Hong1, Shuijing Zhang2, Shuqing Zhang1
1Department of Neurology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University (Zhongshan Hospital of Zhejiang Province), Hangzhou, China.
Background:
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by cognitive impairment and behavioral impairment. The gait of AD patients is attracting the increasing attention. The aim of this randomized controlled trial (RCT) is to explore the effect of acupuncture on the cognitive function, gait performance, and hemodynamic changes in the prefrontal cortices.
Methods:
In this RCT, a total of 108 AD patients will be randomly assigned into acupuncture group or control group for 8 weeks. The primary outcome will be three-dimensional gait analysis and cerebral hemodynamics using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Secondary outcomes will include Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and Barthel Index (BI).
Discussion:
This trial is expected to explore the effect of acupuncture on cognitive function, gait performance, and hemodynamic changes in the prefrontal cortices for AD patients.
