The clinical study of the electroacupuncture for treatment of amnestic mild cognitive impairment

Objective To observe the curative effect of electric acupuncture treatment on aMCI patients and to explore its possible mechanisms. Methods Sixty patients got randomly assigned to treatment group or control group,and each group contained 30 cases.The patients in treatment group received electric acupuncture treatment,and the patients in control group were treated with oral nimodipine.The total score of MOCA,MMSE,CDT and ERP check were used to assess the patient's cognitive function before and after treatment with the level of high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and interleukin-6(IL-6) in serum were checked.Meanwhile,the DTI and rs-fMRI were applied to measure FA value and ADC value on patients'ROI. Results The total score of MOCA,MMSE and CDT significantly increased after treatment (P<0.05).ERP demonstrated that the cognitive function in patients of two groups were improved and the level of hs-CRP and IL-6in serum decreased significantly (P<0.05).DTI indicated that FA value rose after the treatment. Conclusion Electric acupuncture treatment can significantly improve the cognitive function on aMCI patients and the mechanism may be associated with lower serum IL-6.