Therapeutic Observation of Acupuncture at Baihui (GV20) in Improving Executive Dysfunction After Cerebral Stroke / 上海针灸杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To observe the therapeutic efficacy of acupuncture at Baihui (GV20) in treating post-stroke executive dysfunction.Method Fifty-six eligible patients with post-stroke executive dysfunction were randomized into a treatment group (30 cases) and a control group (26 cases). The treatment group was intervened by acupuncture at Baihui and the control group was intervened by ordinary acupuncture. Before and after the intervention, the Behavioral Assessment of the Dysexecutive Syndrome (BADS) and Trail Making Test (TMT) were adopted to evaluate the executive function, and Modified Barthel Index (MBI) was used to estimate the activities of daily living (ADL).Result Before the intervention, there were no significant differences in comparing the BADS, TMT and MBI scores between the two groups (P>0.05); after the treatment, each scale was improved significantly in both groups (P<0.05). The scores of Rule Shift Cards Test (RSCT), Key Search Test (KST), Temporal Judgment Test (TJT), Zoo Map Test (ZMT) and total point of BADS, TMT-A and MBI scores in the treatment group were superior to those in the control group (P<0.05).Conclusion Acupuncture at Baihui works effectively in improving the executive function of cerebral stroke patients.