The effects and mechanisms of acupuncture for post-stroke cognitive impairment: progress and prospects

Stroke is one of the important causes of both disability and death worldwide, which is very common in older adults. Post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) is a common secondary damage of stroke, which is the main cause of long-term disability and decreased quality of life in stroke patients, which brings a heavy burden to society and families. Acupuncture, as one of the oldest and widely used worldwide techniques in Chinese medicine, is recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) as an alternative and complementary strategy for improving stroke care. This review comprehensively summarizes literature from the last 25 years, showing that acupuncture can exert strong beneficial effect on PSCI. The mechanisms of acupuncture on PSCI involves anti-neuronal apoptosis, promoting synaptic plasticity, alleviating central and peripheral inflammatory reactions, and regulating brain energy metabolism disorders (including improving cerebral blood flow, glucose utilization and mitochondrial structure and function, etc.), etc. The effects and mechanisms of acupuncture on PSCI reviewed in this study provides scientific and reliable evidence for acupuncture application for PSCI.

Automated summary

Stroke is a common cause of disability and death, particularly among older adults worldwide. Post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) is a common consequence of stroke, leading to long-term disability and reduced quality of life. Acupuncture has been recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a complementary therapy for stroke care, and this review provides comprehensive evidence of its beneficial effects on PSCI. The mechanisms of acupuncture on PSCI involve anti-neuronal apoptosis, synaptic plasticity promotion, inflammation alleviation, and regulation of brain energy metabolism disorders. The findings of this study offer scientific support for the application of acupuncture in treating PSCI.