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STUDY PROTOCOL article

Front. Neurol.
Sec. Movement Disorders
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fneur.2024.1444873

Effect of acupuncture on the gait disturbance and hemodynamic changes in the prefrontal cortex: A study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Provisionally accepted
Zhenmei Hong Zhenmei Hong 1Shuijing Zhang Shuijing Zhang 2Shuqing Zhang Shuqing Zhang 1Yuqi Zhao Yuqi Zhao 2Xiancong Ye Xiancong Ye 2Xinxin Shu Xinxin Shu 2Yufan Chen Yufan Chen 2Shuding Yan Shuding Yan 2Ruijie Ma Ruijie Ma 1*
  • 1 Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
  • 2 Zhejiang Rehabilitation Medical Center, Hangzhou, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by cognitive impairment and behavioral impairment. The gait of AD patients is attracting the increasing attention.The aim of this randomized controlled trial (RCT) is to explore the effect of acupuncture on the cognitive function, gait performance, and hemodynamic changes in the prefrontal cortices.In this RCT, a total of 108 AD patients will be randomly assigned into acupuncture group or control group for 8 weeks. The primary outcome will be threedimensional gait analysis and cerebral hemodynamics using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Secondary outcomes will include Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and Barthel Index (BI).Discussion: This trial is expected to explore the effect of acupuncture on cognitive function, gait performance, and hemodynamic changes in the prefrontal cortices for AD patients.

    Keywords: Acupuncture, Gait disturbance, Alzheimer's disease, study protocol, randomized controlled trial

    Received: 06 Jun 2024; Accepted: 13 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Hong, Zhang, Zhang, Zhao, Ye, Shu, Chen, Yan and Ma. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Ruijie Ma, Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, 310053, Zhejiang Province, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.