Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is one of the most common causes of mental retardation, but modern medicine has not yet produced a good therapeutic effect. Clinical practice and scientific studies have showed that acupuncture has a marked therapeutic effect on mental retardation, but researches on the mechanism of its action are still not mature. In view of this, this article will focus on the present situation of FXS study and expound the feasibility of NLGN-3 protein as a target for the mechanism of action of acupuncture on FXS.

OBJECTIVETo compare the difference of clinical efficacy on sleeping disorder in the children with encephalopathy between the combined therapy of acupuncture at head points and seed-pressure at ear points and the simple acupuncture at head points.

METHODSThirty cases of sleeping disorder induced by encephalopathy werei randomized into an observation group and a control group, 15 cases in each one. In the observation group, the combined therapy of acupuncture at head points and seed-pressure at ear points was adopted. The head points in cluded Sishencong (EX-HN 1), Shenting (GV 24) and Benshen (GB 13). The ear points were the positive reactive sites in the cymba and cavum conchae. In the control group, acupuncture was applied simply to the acupoints on the head. The treatment was given once on every Tuesday and Friday a week separately, 30 min each time. Totally, 16 treatments were required. Children's sleeping habit questionnaire (CSHQ) was used to observe the sleep improvements and the efficacy in the patients of the two groups.

RESULTSIn the observation group, the results of sleep resistance, sleep anxiety, night sleep wake, parasomnias, sleep dyspnea, daytime somnolence and the total score after treatment were all improved apparently as compared with those before treatment (all P<0. 05). In the control group, the results of night sleep wake, parasomnias, daytime somnolence and the total score after treatment were improved apparently than those before treatment (all P<0. 05). In the observation group, the results of sleep resistance, sleep dyspnea and the total score after treatment were better than those in the control group (all P<0. 05) and the scores of sleep anxiety and daytime somnolence in the control group were better than those in the observation group after treatment (both P<0. 05).

CONCLUSIONThe combined therapy of acupuncture at head points and seed-pressure at the positive reactive sites in the cymba and cavum conchae achieves the superior efficacy on sleep resistance and sleep dyspnea as compared with the simple acupuncture. The efficacy of simple acupuncture is more satisfactory on sleep anxiety and daytime somnolence.

Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Acupuncture, Ear ; Brain Diseases ; complications ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Sleep ; Sleep Wake Disorders ; etiology ; physiopathology ; therapy