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SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article

Front. Neurosci.
Sec. Translational Neuroscience
Volume 18 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1468331

Efficacy of combination scalp acupuncture for post-stroke cognitive impairment: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Provisionally accepted
Song Li Song Li 1,2,3Anhong Dai Anhong Dai 4*Yihao Zhou Yihao Zhou 5Xu Chen Xu Chen 1*Yizhou Chen Yizhou Chen 1Li Zhou Li Zhou 1*Xiaolin Yang Xiaolin Yang 1*Mengqi Yue Mengqi Yue 1*Jing Shi Jing Shi 1,2,3*Yong Qiu Yong Qiu 1*
  • 1 Yunnan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Kunming, China
  • 2 First Affiliated Hospital of Yunnan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Kunming, Yunnan Province, China
  • 3 Yunnan Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Kunming, Yunnan Province, China
  • 4 Yan'an Hospital Affiliated To Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan Province, China
  • 5 Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China

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

    This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the efficacy of combination scalp acupuncture in treating post-stroke cognitive impairment.A comprehensive search was conducted across eight databases: PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Database, EMBASE, CBM, CNKI, WanFang, and VIP, targeting randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published from the inception of these databases until October 24, 2024. The inclusion criteria focused on RCTs that compared scalp acupuncture with 2 conventional treatments as therapeutic interventions for patients suffering from poststroke cognitive impairment (PSCI). The effectiveness of these treatments was evaluated using various outcome measures, including the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), the Loewenstein Occupational Therapy Cognitive Assessment (LOTCA), as well as P300 latency and amplitude, which collectively assess cognitive function. Two independent reviewers conducted a risk of bias (ROB2) assessment, and data analysis was performed using Review Manager (RevMan) version 5.4.This analysis included a total of 28 studies involving 1,995 patients. However, according to the standards of the ROB2 tool, most of these studies exhibited various methodological issues. The comprehensive analysis indicates that the efficacy of combined scalp acupuncture in treating post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) is superior to that of single treatments, as evidenced by improvements across multiple scales, including the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Loewenstein Occupational Therapy Cognitive Assessment (LOTCA), P300 latency, and amplitude. Specifically, the overall effective rate was reported as (RR = 1.28 (95% CI:1.14-1.45, P < 0.0001; I² = 51%, random effects model). The mean differences for the various scales were as follows:

    Keywords: Scalp acupuncture, Stroke, cognitive impairment, Meta-analysis, randomized controlled trials

    Received: 21 Jul 2024; Accepted: 14 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Li, Dai, Zhou, Chen, Chen, Zhou, Yang, Yue, Shi and Qiu. 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:
    Anhong Dai, Yan'an Hospital Affiliated To Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan Province, China
    Xu Chen, Yunnan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Kunming, China
    Li Zhou, Yunnan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Kunming, China
    Xiaolin Yang, Yunnan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Kunming, China
    Mengqi Yue, Yunnan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Kunming, China
    Jing Shi, Yunnan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Kunming, China
    Yong Qiu, Yunnan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Kunming, 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.