ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the effects of different times of needle retention on cognitive function in patients with vascular cognitive impairment no dementia (VCIND). Methods One hundred and four VCIND patients were randomly allocated to group A of 35 cases, group B of 34 cases and group C of 35 cases. All the three groups received acupuncture plus medication. Of them, group A was given scalp acupuncture with 30 min retention of needles;group B, with 1 hr retention of needles;group C, with 10 hrs retention of needles. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score and the ADL score were recorded in the three groups of patients before and after treatment. Results There were statistically significant pre-/post-treatment differences in the MoCA score and the ADL score in every group (P<0.05). There were statistically significant post-treatment differences in the MoCA score and the ADL score between group A or B and group C (P<0.05). Conclusions Acupuncture is an effective way to treat VCIND. It can improve cognitive function in the patients. Scalp acupuncture with 10 hrs retention of needles has a more marked effect.