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

Abstract 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.