1. Assessor- and participant-blinded, randomized controlled trial of dense cranial electroacupuncture stimulation plus body acupuncture for neuropsychiatric sequelae of stroke.
- Author
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Zhang ZJ, Zhao H, Jin GX, Man SC, Wang YS, Wang Y, Wang HR, Li MH, Yam LL, Qin ZS, Yu KT, Wu J, Ng FB, Ziea TE, and Rong PJ
- Subjects
- Aged, Cognitive Dysfunction etiology, Depression etiology, Double-Blind Method, Electroacupuncture methods, Extremities, Female, Forehead, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Severity of Illness Index, Skull, Stroke complications, Acupuncture Points, Acupuncture Therapy methods, Cognitive Dysfunction rehabilitation, Depression rehabilitation, Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care, Stroke therapy, Stroke Rehabilitation methods
- Abstract
Aim: Acupuncture has benefits in the rehabilitation of neuropsychiatric sequelae of stroke. This study was aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of dense cranial electroacupuncture stimulation plus body acupuncture (DCEAS+BA) in treating poststroke depression (PSD), functional disability, and cognitive deterioration., Methods: In this assessor- and participant-blinded, randomized controlled trial, 91 stroke patients who initially had PSD were randomly assigned to either DCEAS+BA (n = 45) or minimum acupuncture stimulation as controls (n = 46) for three sessions per week over 8 consecutive weeks. The primary outcome was baseline-to-end-point change in score of the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. Secondary outcomes included the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale for depressive symptoms, the Barthel Index for functional disability, and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment for cognitive function., Results: DCEAS+BA-treated patients showed strikingly greater end-point reduction than MAS-treated patients in scores of the three symptom domains. The clinical response rate, defined as an at least 50% baseline-to-end-point reduction in 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale score, was markedly higher in the DCEAS+BA-treated group than that of controls (40.0% vs 17.4%, P = 0.031). Incidence of adverse events was not different in the two groups. Subgroup analysis revealed that DCEAS+BA with electrical stimulation on forehead acupoints was more apparent in reducing Barthel-Index-measured disability than that without electrical stimulation., Conclusion: DCEAS+BA, particularly with electrical stimulation on forehead acupoints, reduces PSD, functional disability, and cognitive deterioration of stroke patients. It can serve as an effective rehabilitation therapy for neuropsychiatric sequelae of stroke., (© 2019 The Authors. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences © 2019 Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology.)
- Published
- 2020
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