Share:
Share this content in WeChat
X
Review
Neuroimaging advances in acupuncture for mild cognitive impairment
WANG Yixuan  LI Shuya  LIU Xuanli  YAO Yutong  LIN Jianwen  CAI Ming  LI Kuncheng  ZHAO Yawei  HAN Fang 

Cite this article as: WANG Y X, LI S Y, LIU X L, et al. Neuroimaging advances in acupuncture for mild cognitive impairment[J]. Chin J Magn Reson Imaging, 2025, 16(4): 120-125. DOI:10.12015/issn.1674-8034.2025.04.019.


[Abstract] Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) refers to the progressive decline of memory or other cognitive functions, which belongs to the early stage of Alzheimer's disease and is the key window of early diagnosis, prevention and treatment, and there is no drug radical cure. Acupuncture is widely used for its wide indications, quick response and simple operation, but its clinical treatment mechanism is still unclear. In recent years, with the rapid development of multimodal imaging technology and the continuous deepening of neuroimaging research on acupuncture treatment of MCI, the acupuncture treatment effect of MCI brain is accurately evaluated based on objective information such as structure, function and molecular imaging. It's convenient for early/ultra-early clinical treatment and intervention, provides objective evidence for the discussion of disease pathogenesis. This paper reviews the research progress of brain functional imaging technology in treating MCI patients with acupuncture, in order to provide new ideas for further revealing the mechanism of acupuncture on MCI diseases and a new perspective for clinical accurate diagnosis and treatment.
[Keywords] mild cognitive impairment;acupuncture;neuroimaging;functional magnetic resonance imaging;magnetic resonance imaging

WANG Yixuan1   LI Shuya1   LIU Xuanli1   YAO Yutong1   LIN Jianwen2   CAI Ming3   LI Kuncheng4   ZHAO Yawei1   HAN Fang5*  

1 Department of PET/CT Medical Center, Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Dalian University, Dalian 116001, China

2 Department of Psychiatry, Dalian University of Technology Affiliated Central Hospital, Dalian 116001, China

3 Department of Neurology, Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Dalian University, Dalian 116001, China

4 Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100053, China

5 Department of Imaging, Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Dalian University, Dalian Key Laboratory of Functional and Molecular Imaging, Dalian 116001, China

Corresponding author: HAN F, E-mail: hanfang@dlu.edu.cn

Conflicts of interest   None.

Received  2024-11-12
Accepted  2025-04-10
DOI: 10.12015/issn.1674-8034.2025.04.019
Cite this article as: WANG Y X, LI S Y, LIU X L, et al. Neuroimaging advances in acupuncture for mild cognitive impairment[J]. Chin J Magn Reson Imaging, 2025, 16(4): 120-125. DOI:10.12015/issn.1674-8034.2025.04.019.

[1]
JIA L, DU Y, CHU L, et al. Prevalence, risk factors, and management of dementia and mild cognitive impairment in adults aged 60 years or older in China: a cross-sectional study[J/OL]. Lancet Public Health, 2020, 5(12): e661-e671 [2024-11-12]. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33271079/. DOI: 10.1016/s2468-2667(20)30185-7.
[2]
YANG L, YANG R, WANG B, et al. Bibliometric analysis of research trends on factors affecting older adults with mild cognitive impairment[J/OL]. Front Neurol, 2024, 15: 1440784 [2024-11-12]. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39416664/. DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2024.1440784.
[3]
YANG K, YANG X, YIN P, et al. Temporal trend and attributable risk factors of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias burden in China: Findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021[J]. Alzheimers Dement, 2024, 20(11): 7871-7884. DOI: 10.1002/alz.14254.
[4]
REN R, QI J, LIN S, et al. The China Alzheimer Report 2022[J/OL]. Gen Psychiatr, 2022, 35(1): e100751 [2024-11-12]. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35372787/. DOI: 10.1136/gpsych-2022-100751.
[5]
LI W, WANG Q, DU S, et al. Acupuncture for mild cognitive impairment in elderly people: Systematic review and meta-analyses[J/OL]. Medicine (Baltimore), 2020, 99(39): e22365 [2024-11-12]. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32991455/. DOI: 10.1097/md.0000000000022365.
[6]
KIM H, KIM H K, KIM S Y, et al. Cognitive improvement effects of electro-acupuncture for the treatment of MCI compared with Western medications: a systematic review and Meta-analysis[J/OL]. BMC Complement Altern Med, 2019, 19(1): 13 [2024-11-12]. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30621676/. DOI: 10.1186/s12906-018-2407-2.
[7]
ZHU L, TANG Q, ZHANG L, et al. Based on voxel-based morphological analysis to investigate the effect of acupuncture-rehabilitation therapy on hippocampal volume and its neuroprotective mechanism in patients with vascular cognitive impairment with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A study protocol[J/OL]. Medicine (Baltimore), 2021, 100(51): e28187 [2024-11-12]. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34941076/. DOI: 10.1097/md.0000000000028187.
[8]
CAI M, LEE J H, YANG E J. Electroacupuncture attenuates cognition impairment via anti-neuroinflammation in an Alzheimer's disease animal model[J/OL]. J Neuroinflammation, 2019, 16(1): 264 [2024-11-12]. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31836020/. DOI: 10.1186/s12974-019-1665-3.
[9]
JIN Y, CHEN J, CHAI Q, et al. Exploration of acupuncture therapy in the treatment of MCI patients with the ApoE ε4 gene based on the brain-gut axis theory[J/OL]. BMC Complement Med Ther, 2023, 23(1): 227 [2024-11-12]. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37422636/. DOI: 10.1186/s12906-023-04060-2.
[10]
XU A, TANG Y, ZENG Q, et al. Electroacupuncture Enhances Cognition by Promoting Brain Glucose Metabolism and Inhibiting Inflammation in the APP/PS1 Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease: A Pilot Study[J]. J Alzheimers Dis, 2020, 77(1): 387-400. DOI: 10.3233/jad-200242.
[11]
XU S Y, LV H Q, LI W Q, et al. Electroacupuncture Alleviates Cerebral Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury in Rats by Histone H4 Lysine 16 Acetylation-Mediated Autophagy[J/OL]. Front Psychiatry, 2020, 11: 576539 [2024-11-12]. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33391046/. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.576539.
[12]
KEMIK K, ADA E, ÇAVUŞOĞLU B, et al. Detecting language network alterations in mild cognitive impairment using task-based fMRI and resting-state fMRI: A comparative study[J/OL]. Brain Behav, 2024, 14(5): e3518 [2024-11-12]. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38698619/. DOI: 10.1002/brb3.3518.
[13]
SHAN Y, WANG J J, WANG Z Q, et al. Neuronal Specificity of Acupuncture in Alzheimer's Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment Patients: A Functional MRI Study[J/OL]. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med, 2018, 2018: 7619197 [2024-11-12]. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30105065/. DOI: 10.1155/2018/7619197.
[14]
WANG Z, NIE B, LI D, et al. Effect of acupuncture in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer disease: a functional MRI study[J/OL]. PLoS One, 2012, 7(8): e42730 [2024-11-12]. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22916152/. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0042730.
[15]
ROY D S, ZHANG Y, AIDA T, et al. Anterior thalamic dysfunction underlies cognitive deficits in a subset of neuropsychiatric disease models[J/OL]. Neuron, 2021, 109(16): 2590-2603.e2513 [2024-11-12]. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34197733/. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.06.005.
[16]
HAN F, LIU H, WANG K, et al. Correlation Between Thalamus-Related Functional Connectivity and Serum BDNF Levels During the Periovulatory Phase of Primary Dysmenorrhea[J/OL]. Front Hum Neurosci, 2019, 13: 333 [2024-11-12]. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31632254/. DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2019.00333.
[17]
STONE J V, KÖTTER R. Making connections about brain connectivity[J]. Trends Cogn Sci, 2002, 6(8): 327-328. DOI: 10.1016/s1364-6613(02)01943-5.
[18]
MIAO D, ZHOU X, WU X, et al. Distinct profiles of functional connectivity density aberrance in Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment[J/OL]. Front Psychiatry, 2022, 13:1079149 [2024-11-12]. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36590612/. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1079149.
[19]
LI H, WANG Z, YU H, et al. The Long-Term Effects of Acupuncture on Hippocampal Functional Connectivity in aMCI with Hippocampal Atrophy: A Randomized Longitudinal fMRI Study[J]. Neural Plast, 2020, 2020: 1-9. DOI: 10.1155/2020/6389368.
[20]
LEE J S, KIM J H, LEE S K. The Relationship between Neuropsychiatric Symptoms and Default-Mode Network Connectivity in Alzheimer's Disease[J]. Psychiatry Investig, 2020, 17(7): 662-666. DOI: 10.30773/pi.2020.0009.
[21]
SEOANE S, VAN DEN HEUVEL M, ACEBES Á, et al. The subcortical default mode network and Alzheimer's disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis[J/OL]. Brain Commun, 2024, 6(2): fcae128 [2024-11-12]. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38665961/. DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcae128.
[22]
MIRAGLIA F, VECCHIO F, PAPPALETTERA C, et al. Brain Connectivity and Graph Theory Analysis in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease: The Contribution of Electrophysiological Techniques[J/OL]. Brain Sci, 2022, 12(3): 402 [2024-11-12]. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35326358/. DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12030402.
[23]
WHEELOCK M D, STRAIN J F, MANSFIELD P, et al. Brain network decoupling with increased serum neurofilament and reduced cognitive function in Alzheimer's disease[J]. Brain, 2023, 146(7): 2928-2943. DOI: 10.1093/brain/awac498.
[24]
WANG J, ZUO X, DAI Z, et al. Disrupted functional brain connectome in individuals at risk for Alzheimer's disease[J]. Biol Psychiatry, 2013, 73(5): 472-481. DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2012.03.026.
[25]
LUO Y, SUN T, MA C, et al. Alterations of Brain Networks in Alzheimer's Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Resting State fMRI Study Based on a Population-specific Brain Template[J]. Neuroscience, 2021, 452: 192-207. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2020.10.023.
[26]
BAI L, ZHANG M, CHEN S, et al. Characterizing acupuncture de qi in mild cognitive impairment: relations with small-world efficiency of functional brain networks[J/OL]. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med, 2013, 2013: 304804 [2024-11-12]. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23935659/. DOI: 10.1155/2013/304804.
[27]
XU K, WEI Y, LIU C, et al. Effect of Moxibustion Treatment on Degree Centrality in Patients With Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Resting-State Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study[J/OL]. Front Hum Neurosci, 2022, 16: 889426 [2024-11-12]. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35982690/. DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.889426.
[28]
BRIGGS R G, LIN Y H, DADARIO N B, et al. Anatomy and White Matter Connections of the Middle Frontal Gyrus[J/OL]. World Neurosurg, 2021, 150: e520-e529 [2024-11-12]. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33744423/. DOI: 10.1016/j.wneu.2021.03.045.
[29]
SOMAN S M, RAGHAVAN S, RAJESH P G, et al. Does resting state functional connectivity differ between mild cognitive impairment and early Alzheimer's dementia?[J/OL]. J Neurol Sci, 2020, 418: 117093 [2024-11-12]. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32827882/. DOI: 10.1016/j.jns.2020.117093.
[30]
ZHU Y, YANG B, ZHOU C, et al. Cortical atrophy is associated with cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease: a combined analysis of cortical thickness and functional connectivity[J]. Brain Imaging Behav, 2022, 16(6): 2586-2600. DOI: 10.1007/s11682-022-00714-w.
[31]
YANG N, CHEN S, LIU S, et al. Increased low frequency fluctuation in the brain after acupuncture treatment in CSVDCI patients: A randomized control trial study[J/OL]. Front Neurosci, 2023, 17:1125418 [2024-11-12]. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36922926/. DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1125418.
[32]
LAI Z, ZHANG Q, LIANG L, et al. Efficacy and Mechanism of Moxibustion Treatment on Mild Cognitive Impairment Patients: An fMRI Study Using ALFF[J/OL]. Front Mol Neurosci, 2022, 15: 852882 [2024-11-12]. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35620445/. DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2022.852882.
[33]
MA S, HUANG H, ZHONG Z, et al. Effect of acupuncture on brain regions modulation of mild cognitive impairment: A meta-analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging studies[J/OL]. Front Aging Neurosci, 2022, 14: 914049 [2024-11-12]. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36212046/. DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.914049.
[34]
LIU Z, WEI W, BAI L, et al. Exploring the patterns of acupuncture on mild cognitive impairment patients using regional homogeneity[J/OL]. PLoS One, 2014, 9(6): e99335 [2024-11-12]. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24968124/. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0099335.
[35]
ZHANG J, HU S, LIU Y, et al. Acupuncture Treatment Modulate Regional Homogeneity of Dorsal Lateral Prefrontal Cortex in Patients with Amnesic Mild Cognitive Impairment[J]. J Alzheimers Dis, 2022, 90(1): 173-184. DOI: 10.3233/jad-220592.
[36]
VAN DER PLAS M, BRAUN V, STAUCH B J, et al. Stimulation of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex with slow rTMS enhances verbal memory formation[J/OL]. PLoS Biol, 2021, 19(9): e3001363 [2024-11-12]. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34582432/. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001363.
[37]
WANG F. Study on the central mechanism of acupuncture improving amnestic mild cognitive impairment based on structural and functional MRI[D]. Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, 2020.
[38]
BRUEGGEN K, GROTHE M J, DYRBA M, et al. The European DTI Study on Dementia - A multicenter DTI and MRI study on Alzheimer's disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment[J]. Neuroimage, 2017, 144(Pt B): 305-308. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.03.067.
[39]
LONG R, WANG Y, CHEN L, et al. Abnormalities of Cerebral White Matter Microstructure in Children With New-Onset, Untreated Idiopathic-Generalized Epilepsy[J/OL]. Front Neurol, 2021, 12: 744723 [2024-11-12]. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34917014/. DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2021.744723.
[40]
ZHANG J H. Mechanism of acupuncture on amnestic mild cognitive impairment revealed by multi modal magnetic resonance imaging[D]. Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, 2022.
[41]
OZ G, ALGER J R, BARKER P B, et al. Clinical proton MR spectroscopy in central nervous system disorders[J]. Radiology, 2014, 270(3): 658-679. DOI: 10.1148/radiol.13130531.
[42]
MITOLO M, STANZANI-MASERATI M, CAPELLARI S, et al. Predicting conversion from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer's disease using brain (1)H-MRS and volumetric changes: A two- year retrospective follow-up study[J/OL]. Neuroimage Clin, 2019, 23: 101843 [2024-11-12]. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31071594/. DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2019.101843.
[43]
LIU H, ZHANG D, LIN H, et al. Meta-Analysis of Neurochemical Changes Estimated via Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer's Disease[J/OL]. Front Aging Neurosci, 2021, 13: 738971 [2024-11-12]. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34744689/. DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2021.738971.
[44]
MAI W, ZHANG A, LIU Q, et al. Effects of Moxa Cone Moxibustion Therapy on Cognitive Function and Brain Metabolic Changes in MCI Patients: A Pilot (1)H-MRS Study[J/OL]. Front Aging Neurosci, 2022, 14:773687 [2024-11-12]. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35721029/. DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.773687.
[45]
LEE T L, GUO L, CHAN A S. fNIRS as a biomarker for individuals with subjective memory complaints and MCI[J]. Alzheimers Dement, 2024, 20(8): 5170-5182. DOI: 10.1002/alz.13897.
[46]
ZHANG S, ZHU T, TIAN Y, et al. Early screening model for mild cognitive impairment based on resting-state functional connectivity: a functional near-infrared spectroscopy study[J/OL]. Neurophotonics, 2022, 9(4): 045010 [2024-11-12]. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36483024/. DOI: 10.1117/1.NPh.9.4.045010.
[47]
KHAN M N A, GHAFOOR U, YOO H R, et al. Acupuncture enhances brain function in patients with mild cognitive impairment: evidence from a functional-near infrared spectroscopy study[J]. Neural Regen Res, 2022, 17(8): 1850-1856. DOI: 10.4103/1673-5374.332150.
[48]
AFZAL KHAN M N, HONG K S. Most favorable stimulation duration in the sensorimotor cortex for fNIRS-based BCI[J]. Biomed Opt Express, 2021, 12(10): 5939-5954. DOI: 10.1364/boe.434936.
[49]
CAMINITI S P, DE FRANCESCO S, TONDO G, et al. FDG-PET markers of heterogeneity and different risk of progression in amnestic MCI[J]. Alzheimers Dement, 2024, 20(1): 159-172. DOI: 10.1002/alz.13385.
[50]
CHENG L, LI W, CHEN Y, et al. Plasma Aβ as a biomarker for predicting Aβ-PET status in Alzheimer's disease:a systematic review with meta-analysis[J]. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry, 2022, 93(5): 513-520. DOI: 10.1136/jnnp-2021-327864.

PREV Research progress of Functional Connectivity in self-limited epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes
NEXT Research progress on the correlation between multimodal MRI brain imaging and inflammatory markers in depression
  



Tel & Fax: +8610-67113815    E-mail: editor@cjmri.cn