Since it is supposed that the number of patients with dementia will increase as populations age in the near future, it is important to prevent dementia. In the present study, we examined whether acupuncture and life style improvements are able to enhance cognitive function.
The subjects who worry about being forgetful were recruited and divided at random into two groups ; a group receiving acupuncture with transcutaneous electrical acupuncture-point stimulation (TEAS) and im provements in life style (20 subjects ; group A) and a group undergoing improvements in life style alone (20 subjects ; group B) for 12 weeks. The results showed that the cognitive functions assessed via a Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised, sleep time, and sleep efficiency were improved in all subjects included in groups A and B after the interventions. There were significant pre-to post-intervention differences in MMSE and sleep efficiency in group A only. It was found that these interven tions increased NK cells, NK activity and B cell numbers, and decreased T cell and helper T cell numbers.Thus, acupuncture and improvement of life style could enhance cognitive function and may be useful for the prevention of dementia.