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. 2013:2013:304804.
doi: 10.1155/2013/304804. Epub 2013 Jul 11.

Characterizing acupuncture de qi in mild cognitive impairment: relations with small-world efficiency of functional brain networks

Lijun Bai  1 , Ming Zhang, Shangjie Chen, Lin Ai, Maosheng Xu, Dan Wang, Fei Wang, Lihua Liu, Fang Wang, Lixing Lao
Affiliations

Characterizing acupuncture de qi in mild cognitive impairment: relations with small-world efficiency of functional brain networks

Lijun Bai et al. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013.

Abstract

As an intermediate state between normal aging and dementia, mild cognitive impairment (MCI) became a hot topic and early treatments can improve disease prognosis. Acupuncture is shown to have possible effect in improving its cognitive defect. However, the underlying neural mechanism of acupuncture and relations between De Qi and different needling depths are still elusive. The present study aimed to explore how acupuncture can exert effect on the reorganization of MCI and to what extent needling depths, associating with De Qi sensations, can influence the acupuncture effects for MCI treatment. Our results presented that MCI patients exhibited losses of small-world attributes indicated by longer characteristic path lengths and larger clustering coefficients, compared with healthy controls. In addition, acupuncture with deep needling can induce much stronger and a wide range of De Qi sensations both in intensity and prevalence. Acupuncture with deep needling showed modulatory effect to compensate the losses of small-world attributes existed in MCI patients while acupuncture with superficial needling did not. Furthermore, acupuncture with deep needling enhanced the nodal centrality primarily in the abnormal regions of MCI including the hippocampus, postcentral cortex as well as anterior cingulate cortex. This study provides evidence to understand neural mechanism underlying acupuncture and the key role of De Qi for MCI treatment.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Experimental paradigm. (a) The paradigm for a resting state (REST) run lasting for 6 minutes. (b) The paradigm for acupuncture (ACU) for both DA and SA runs totally lasting for 9 minutes.
Figure 2
Figure 2
(a) The prevalence of deqi sensations. It was expressed as the percentage of the individuals in the group that reported the sensation (at least one subject experienced the seven sensations listed). (b) The intensity of sensations. It was expressed as the average score ± S.E. by measuring on a scale from 0 denoting no sensation to 10 denoting an unbearable sensation.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Characteristic path lengths and clustering coefficients of the whole-brain networks in MCI, DA for MCI, SA for MCI as well as healthy control subjects.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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