Abstract
The prevalence of vascular dementia (VaD) is high among the elderly. Acupuncture, a popular therapeutic method in China, can improve memory, orientation, calculation, and self-managing ability in VaD patients. However, in clinical acupuncture and acupuncture research, the selection of acupoints to treat VaD remains challenging. This study aimed to discover acupoints and acupoint combinations with potential for VaD based on data mining. After database searching and screening for articles on clinical trials evaluating the effects of acupuncture on VaD, 238 acupuncture prescriptions were included for further analysis. Baihui (GV 20), Sishencong (EX-HN 1), Fengchi (GB 20), Shuigou (GV 26), and Shenting (GV 24) appeared most frequently in the modern literature and are potential acupoints for VaD. Combinations between Baihui (GV 20), Sishencong (EX-HN 1), Fengchi (GB 20), Shenting (GV 24), Shuigou (GV 26), and Zusanli (ST 36) were most frequent and represent potential combinations for VaD treatment. These results provide a reference for the selection and combination of acupoints to treat VaD in clinical acupuncture and acupuncture research.
Highlights
The selection of acupoints plays a critical role in the therapeutic effects of acupuncture
Based on the results of data mining, a subsequent clinical trial confirmed that acupuncture was effective for the treatment of migraine and that acupoints on the Shaoyang Meridian were more effective than acupoints on other meridians [2]
We focused on investigating the set of the most influential nodes in acupoint networks of vascular dementia (VaD), defined as the nodes with the highest k-core value [20]
Summary
The selection of acupoints plays a critical role in the therapeutic effects of acupuncture. Data mining has been used to discover potential acupoints from the expansive relevant literature This method has been used to suggest acupoints on the Shaoyang Meridian for migraine treatment based on their high frequency in the literature [1]. Based on the results of data mining, a subsequent clinical trial confirmed that acupuncture was effective for the treatment of migraine and that acupoints on the Shaoyang Meridian were more effective than acupoints on other meridians [2]. Data mining has been used to discover potential Chinese herbs for the effective treatment of specific diseases [3, 4]. These results support data mining as a promising method to discover acupoints with potential for treating diseases
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