11.10.08
Acupuncture points and the effect of acupuncture treatment on Alzheimer’s disease
A research group in Beijing China investigated the effects of acupuncture treatment on various regions of the brain in patients with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). Twenty-six patients with AD were involved in the study. They used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) on patients treated with acupuncture at the four acupuncture points of Shenmen (HT 7), Zusanli (ST 36), Fenglong (ST 40) and Taixi (KI 3).
The study found that there were certain activations in the right main hemisphere (temporal lobe, e.g., hippocampal gyrus, insula, and some area of parietal lobe), and left regions (temporal lobe, parietal lobule, some regions of cerebellum). Interestingly, the activated regions induced by these acupuncture points were correspondent with the impaired areas in the brains of AD patients. These areas are closely associated with the cognitive function, such as memory, reason, language, and executive. This study demonstrates that acupuncture may have a potential therapeutic effect on AD.
Reference:
Zhou, Y. and J. Jin (2008). “Effect of acupuncture given at the HT 7, ST 36, ST 40 and KI 3 acupoints on various parts of the brains of Alzheimer’ s disease patients.” Acupunct Electrother Res 33(1-2): 9-17.
