Clinical study of acupuncture combined with medication for the elderly with Alzheimer disease

Objective To observe the impact of mind-regulating acupuncture plus donepezil on the cognitive ability, mean cerebral blood flow velocity, event-related potential P300, and activities of daily living (ADL) in the aged patients with Alzheimer disease (AD).

Methods Sixty senile AD patients were divided into a treatment group and a control group following the envelope method for random allocation, with 30 cases in each group.

Based on the conventional treatment of the internal medicine, the control group received oral donepezil, and the treatment group received oral donepezil plus mind-regulating acupuncture.

After 4-week treatment, the two groups were evaluated by the mini-mental state examination (MMSE), Alzheimer disease assessment scale-cognitive part (ADAS-Cog), and ADL; changes in P300 and the mean cerebral blood flow velocity were also observed.

Results Before treatment, there were no significant differences in the scores of MMSE, ADAS-Cog, or ADL between the two groups ( P >0.05).

The MMSE score increased after treatment in both groups and was notably higher in the treatment group than in the control group, showing intra-group and inter-group statistical significance ( P <0.05).

After treatment, the ADAS-Cog and ADL scores dropped in both groups and were markedly lower in the treatment group than in the control group, also showing intra-group and inter-group statistical significance ( P <0.05).

Compared with the same group before treatment, the latency of P300 was shortened and the amplitude was extended in both groups, all with statistical significance ( P <0.05); the latency was shorter and the amplitude was larger in the treatment group than in the control group after treatment, presenting significant between-group differences ( P <0.05).

The mean blood flow velocity accelerated after the intervention in both groups, and the differences were statistically significant ( P <0.05); the improvement in the treatment group was more notable than that in the control group ( P <0.05).

Conclusion Mind-regulating acupuncture plus donepezil can regulate the latency and amplitude of P300, increase cerebral blood flow, and improve the learning and memory abilities of AD patients.

目的 观察调神针法配合多奈哌齐对老年性阿尔茨海默病(AD)患者认知能力、平均脑血流速度、事件相关电 位P300以及日常生活能力(ADL)的影响。

方法 按照随机分配信封法将60例老年性AD患者分为治疗组和对照组, 每组 30例。

在常规内科治疗的基础上, 对照组口服多奈哌齐治疗; 治疗组在对照组的基础上加用调神针刺法。

两组均治 疗4周后评价简易智力状态评价量表(MMSE)、阿尔茨海默病评估量表认知部分(ADAS-Cog)及ADL评分, 观察P300和平 均脑血流速度的变化。

结果 治疗前两组患者MMSE、ADAS-Cog及ADL评分比较, 差异无统计学意义( P >0.05)。

治疗后 两组患者MMSE评分均高于治疗前, 且治疗组MMSE评分显著高于对照组, 组内及组间差异有统计学意义( P <0.05)。

治 疗后两组患者ADAS-Cog及ADL评分均降低, 且治疗组评分明显低于对照组, 组内及组间差异有统计学意义( P <0.05)。

与同组治疗前比较, 两组患者治疗后P300潜伏期均缩短, 波幅均延长, 差异有统计学意义( P <0.05); 治疗组患者治疗 后潜伏期小于对照组, 波幅高于对照组, 组间差异有统计学意义( P <0.05)。

治疗后两组血管平均血流速度均较治疗前 升高, 差异有统计学意义( P <0.05), 且治疗组改善情况优于对照组( P <0.05)。

结论 调神针法联合多奈哌齐可以调节 P300的潜伏期及波幅, 提高患者的脑血流量, 同时改善老年性AD患者的学习记忆能力。