1.Immediate Effects of Acupuncture at Yanglingquan on Functional Connectivity of Brain Network in Patients with Stroke and Hemiplegia
Chen CHEN ; Kuangshi LI ; Xin YU ; Linlu WU ; Tianzhu CHEN ; Kang WU ; Yuanyuan LI ; Xinyue SHI ; Yihuai ZOU
Chinese Journal of Information on Traditional Chinese Medicine 2024;31(3):149-154
Objective To compare the immediate effects of acupuncture at the true and false acupoints of Yanglingquan on functional connectivity in sensorimotor network(SMN)and dorsal attentional network(DAN)of stroke patients based on functional magnetic resonance imaging(fMRI)technology;To explore the central regulatory mechanism and acupoint specificity of acupuncture in stroke patients with hemiplegia.Methods Totally 20 patients with stroke and hemiplegia were included in the study.fMRI scans of acupuncture at the true and false acupoints of Yanglingquan were performed once every 2 weeks,and motion-related SMN and DAN were extracted by independent component analysis to compare the differences in functional connectivity.Results In SMN,after acupuncture at the Yanglingquan true acupoint,the functional connectivity was enhanced compared with before acupuncture.The enhanced brain areas included the right anterior central gyrus,superior temporal gyrus,inferior frontal gyrus,cuneiform lobe,and anterior cuneiform lobe,as well as the left middle temporal gyrus,occipital gyrus,superior temporal gyrus,parahippocampal gyrus,inferior frontal gyrus,and superior temporal gyrus.After acupuncture at the Yanglingquan false acupoint,the functional connectivity was enhanced compared with before acupuncture.The enhanced brain areas included the right anterior central gyrus,superior frontal gyrus,middle frontal gyrus,and cingulate gyrus,as well as the left medial frontal gyrus,anterior cingulate gyrus,lentiform nucleus,and caudate nucleus.In DAN,after acupuncture at the Yanglingquan true acupoint,the functional connectivity was enhanced compared with before acupuncture.The enhanced brain areas included the right anterior cingulate lobe,superior temporal gyrus,middle temporal gyrus,and occipital gyrus,as well as the left cingulate gyrus,posterior cingulate gyrus,and anterior cingulate lobe.After acupuncture at the Yanglingquan false acupoint,the functional connectivity was enhanced compared with before acupuncture,and the enhanced brain areas included the right anterior cingulate gyrus,left anterior cingulate gyrus,and medial frontal gyrus.Conclusion Acupuncture at Yanglingquan can activate SMN and DAN bilateral related brain regions in patients with hemiplegia,which may promote the recovery of motor function by regulating the initiation and execution of motor activities,and has more acupoint specificity compared with false acupoint.
2.Effects of Tai Chi Chuan on Voxel-mirrored Homotopic Connectivity in Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Yuanyuan LI ; Kuangshi LI ; Kang WU ; Xiaojie HU ; Tianjiao XU ; Renzhao MA ; Tianzhu CHEN ; Yi REN ; Yihuai ZOU
Chinese Journal of Information on Traditional Chinese Medicine 2024;31(9):139-144
Objective To compare the changes of brain voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity(VMHC)of patients before and after Tai Chi Chuan training based on functional magnetic resonance imaging(fMRI)technology;To discuss the central effect mechanism of Tai Chi Chuan in treating chronic fatigue syndrome(CFS).Methods A total of 25 CFS patients(experiment group)and 27 healthy individuals(control group)were recruited to undergo a 1-month Tai Chi Chuan intervention.All receive one month of Tai Chi Chuan training.Differences in SF-36 scores and VMHC between CFS patients and HCs were compared.Results Before training,the SF-36 scores in the experimental group were significantly lower than those in the control group(P<0.001),and the VMHC in the bilateral inferior occipital gyrus,paracentral lobule,lingual gyrus,insula and superior temporal gyrus brain areas were weakened.After training,the scores of SF-36 in the experimental group significantly increased(P<0.001),and the VMHC in bilateral inferior occipital gyrus,superior temporal gyrus,anterior cuneiform lobe and paracentral lobule were significantly enhanced.The difference in whole brain VMHC was positively correlated with the difference in energy scores in SF-36(r=0.456,P=0.025);some scores of SF-36 in the control group significantly increased(P<0.05),and no significant changes in VMHC were observed in brain regions.Conclusion Tai Chi Chuan can effectively improve the quality of life of patients with CFS.This change may be related to the enhancement of functional connections in brain regions such as inferior occipital gyrus,superior temporal gyrus,precuneus,paracentral lobule,et al.