ArticleEvidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM2022
Effects of Acupuncture on Cortical Activation in Patients with Disorders of Consciousness: A Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Study.
Article in Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.
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Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 8 citations in OpenAlex.
- [Guangdong consensus on integrated Chinese and Western medicine management of prolonged disorders of consciousness].Nan fang yi ke da xue xue bao = Journal of Southern Medical University · 2026Article
- Acute prefrontal hemodynamic responses to Xingnao Kaiqiao acupuncture in healthy participants and patients with prolonged disorders of consciousness.Frontiers in neurology · 2026Article
- Immediate large-scale cortical network changes following acupuncture in patients with disorders of consciousness: a resting-state fNIRS study.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2026Article
- Neuroprotective Mechanisms of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy in Cerebral Ischemia-Hypoxia Injury Following Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation.International journal of medical sciences · 2026Review
- Electro-Acupuncture to Treat Disorder of Consciousness (AcuDoc): Study Protocol for a Randomized Sham-Controlled Trial.Brain and behavior · 2025Article
- Efficacy of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for disorders of consciousness: a retrospective cohort study.Frontiers in neurology · 2025Article
- Functional near-infrared spectroscopy for the assessment and treatment of patients with disorders of consciousness.Frontiers in neurology · 2025Review
- Analysis of the application of functional near-infrared spectroscopy in acupuncture research: a review.Frontiers in neurology · 2025Review
- Applications of functional near-infrared spectroscopy in non-drug therapy of traditional Chinese medicine: a review.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2023Review
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Disorder of consciousness (DoC) is a clinical condition caused by severe brain damage. Some studies have reported that acupuncture, a traditional Chinese treatment, could facilitate the recovery of the patient's consciousness. The therapeutic effects of acupuncture may be due to its modulation of facilitating cortex (PFC) activity, but it has not been greatly demonstrated. Objectives: We intended to observe the effects of acupuncture on prefrontal cortical activity, explore the potential correlation between cortical activation and the severity of DoC, and analyze the functional brain network connectivity to provide a theoretical basis for its application in clinical practice. Methods: Participants diagnosed with DoC were included in the study. Before the intervention, we assessed the patient's state of consciousness using relevant scales, such as the Glasgow coma scale (GCS) and the coma recovery scale-revised (CRS-R). All patients received acupuncture manipulation with the functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) system monitored. Result: A total of 16 subjects participated in our study. We observed that the concentration of oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO) in the PFC was increased during the acupuncture manipulation and declined during the resting state. Then, the connection strength of the left cerebral cortex was generally higher than that of the right. Finally, we observed only a weak difference in hemodynamic responses of PFC between the vegetative state (VS) and minimally conscious state (MCS) groups. However, the difference was not statistically significant. Conclusion: Our results indicated that acupuncture can increase the concentration of HbO in the PFC and strengthen the connection strength of the left cerebral cortex. However, our present study did not find a significant correlation between the cortical hemodynamic response and the severity of DoC.
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