Abstract
Acupuncture is widely recognized as a potentially effective treatment for stroke rehabilitation. Researchers in this area are actively investigating its therapeutic mechanisms. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), as a noninvasive, high anatomical resolution technique, has been employed to investigate neuroplasticity on acupuncture in stroke patients from a system level. However, there is no review on the mechanism of acupuncture treatment for stroke based on MRI. Therefore, we aim to summarize the current evidence about this aspect and provide useful information for future research. After searching PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase databases, 24 human and five animal studies were identified. This review focuses on the evidence on the possible mechanisms underlying mechanisms of acupuncture therapy in treating stroke by regulating brain plasticity. We found that acupuncture reorganizes not only motor-related network, including primary motor cortex (M1), premotor cortex, supplementary motor area (SMA), frontoparietal network (LFPN and RFPN), and sensorimotor network (SMN), as well as default mode network (aDMN and pDMN), but also language-related brain areas including inferior frontal gyrus frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital lobes, as well as cognition-related brain regions. In addition, acupuncture therapy can modulate the function and structural plasticity of post-stroke, which may be linked to the mechanism effect of acupuncture.
Highlights
Stroke is a common disease that affects one in four people during their lifetime [1], globally, and it continues to be a leading cause of death and long-term disability worldwide, imposing a significant financial burden on healthcare systems and families [2, 3]
We firstly describe research characteristics of acupuncture for stroke based on Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
functional connectivity (FC) of the three studies used M1 as the region of seed interest, and the results revealed that acupuncture increased FC between left primary motor cortex (M1) and right M1, premotor cortex, supplementary motor area (SMA), thalamus, and cerebellum
Summary
Stroke is a common disease that affects one in four people during their lifetime [1], globally, and it continues to be a leading cause of death and long-term disability worldwide, imposing a significant financial burden on healthcare systems and families [2, 3]. Hemiparesis and aphasia are two of the prominent impairments caused by a stroke that affect activities of daily living activities and quality of life [6,7,8]. Some studies have found that almost 20%-40% of all stroke survivors have chronic aphasic symptoms [10, 11]. It is well known that returning to work and social activities is the key priority for stroke survivors. It is critical to understand stroke pathogenesis and explore its appropriate treatment
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