Neural Mechanism of Cognitive Reserve in Acupuncture Stimulation: Protocol for a Randomized, Placebo-Controlled...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Gerontology
• Integrative Medicine

Background:

• Dementia involves progressive cognitive decline, with no current cure, making early diagnosis and prevention crucial.
• Cognitive reserve (CR) is key in understanding dementia, explaining discrepancies between brain pathology and symptoms.
• Acupuncture, a traditional East Asian therapy, is used for neurological conditions, but its macroscale neural effects on CR are unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the acute neural mechanisms of acupuncture stimulation on cognitive reserve (CR) in normal aging and cognitive impairment.
• To utilize neuroimaging techniques to assess these effects.

Main Methods:

• A randomized, placebo-controlled trial involving participants with and without cognitive impairment.
• Verum acupuncture at cognitive-related acupoints vs. sham acupuncture at nonacupoints.
• Assessment of cognitive function, CR, and brain activity using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) before and after intervention.

Main Results:

• Recruitment is ongoing, with 50 participants enrolled (20 cognitive impairment, 30 unimpaired) as of the reporting date.
• Full results are pending completion of participant recruitment by February 2025.

Conclusions:

• Cognitive reserve (CR) influences disease progression in cognitive impairment.
• Identifying acupuncture's neural mechanisms related to CR is essential for its clinical application in dementia.
• This research aims to elucidate these mechanisms using neuroimaging, potentially informing future longitudinal studies.