Abstract: Objective To study the effects of electroacupuncture at scalp points on functional changes of the cerebral regions in the elderly patients with cerebral infarction (CI) by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) method, and to reveal the regulatory effect of scalp acupuncture on central nervous system. Methods Thirty elderly patients with CI were treated with electroacupuncture stimulation at scalp points. The anterior parietal oblique line and posterior parietal oblique line at the head points on the side of the lesion were selected. The patients were scanned with rs-fMRI before and after acupuncture. The changes in regional homogeneity (ReHo) and fractional amplitude of low frequency oscillation (fALFF) of brain functional areas before and after acupuncture were compared. Results After electroacupuncture intervention, the ReHo values were significantly increased at the brain areas such as superior temporal gyrus (STG), middle temporal gyrus (MTG), supramarginal gyrus (SMG) and superior parietal lobule (SPL), indicating that neural activity in these areas is synchronized, which might reflect the regulatory effect of electroacupuncture treatment on brain functional networks. In addition, the fALFF values at STG and MTG also increased significantly, suggesting that the intensity of spontaneous neural activity in these brain areas increased. Conclusions Electroacupuncture at scalp points can quickly activate neural activity in damaged brain functional areas in the elderly patients with CI, and promote the recovery of damaged brain functional areas by improving circulation in relevant brain functional areas.

Key words: aged, cerebral infarction, electroacupuncture, functional magnetic resonance imaging