Affiliations: [a]
Department of Acupuncture, Ningbo Zhenhai People’s Hospital, Ningbo, China
| [b]
Department of Acupuncture, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Xinhua Hospital of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China
| [c]
Department of Radiology, Zhejiang Hospital, Hangzhou, China
| [d] The State Key Laboratory of Fluid Power and Mechatronic Systems, School of Mechanical Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| [e]
Department of Acupuncture, Zhejiang Hospital, Hangzhou, China
Correspondence:
[*]
Address for correspondence: Xiaoqing Jin, Department of Acupuncture, Zhejiang Hospital, No. 12 Lingyin Road, Xihu District, Hangzhou 310013, China. E-mail: zjyyjxq@163.com.
Abstract: BACKGROUND:A variety of acupuncture therapies have shown efficacy in Parkinson’s disease (PD). OBJECTIVE:To evaluate scalp acupuncture (SA) effects on motor and cerebral activity by using gait equipment and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). METHODS:Twelve patients with PD received SA. They underwent the first functional-imaging scan after tactile stimulation and the second scan following needle removal. Gait test and local sensation assessment were performed immediately after each functional scan. Gait parameter differences between pre- and post-SA were analyzed using a paired t-test and altered brain areas in degree centrality (DC) and fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF) were identified between the two scans. RESULTS:Eight patients completed the experiment. Stride length, maximum ankle height, maximum ankle horizontal displacement, gait speed, and range of shank motion significantly increased post-treatment (P < 0.05). fALFF in left middle frontal gyrus and DC in left cerebellum (corrected) increased, while fALFF in left inferior parietal lobule (corrected) during SA decreased, compared with those in tactile stimulation. A positive correlation was observed between right limb swings and both fALFF areas. CONCLUSIONS:Differences in gait and brain analyses presented modulation to motor and brain activity in PD, thus, providing preliminary evidence for SA efficacy.
