Resting-State fMRI Reveals the Neural Correlates of Acupuncture in the Treatment of Vascular Cognitive Impairment
Qiuping Liu, Kang Xiao, Ping Wan, Qinghua Zou Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, First Affiliated Hospital of Army Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Qinghua Zou, Email zouqinghua318@tmmu.edu.cnAbstract: Vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) repres...
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Dove Medical Press
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Clinical Interventions in Aging |
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| author | Liu Q Xiao K Wan P Zou Q |
| author_facet | Liu Q Xiao K Wan P Zou Q |
| author_sort | Liu Q |
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| description | Qiuping Liu, Kang Xiao, Ping Wan, Qinghua Zou Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, First Affiliated Hospital of Army Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Qinghua Zou, Email zouqinghua318@tmmu.edu.cnAbstract: Vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) represents a spectrum of cognitive deficits caused by cerebrovascular pathology, affecting multiple cognitive domains including memory, executive function, and attention. While pharmacological interventions for VCI remain limited, growing evidence supports acupuncture as an effective and safe therapeutic approach that improves both global cognition and activities of daily living in affected patients. Nevertheless, the neurobiological mechanisms underlying acupuncture’s therapeutic effects require further elucidation. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) has emerged as a powerful neuroimaging tool for investigating brain function in cognitive disorders. This technique detects blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signals that reflect spontaneous neuronal activity during rest, providing insights into functional connectivity patterns and regional brain activity. In neurodegenerative conditions, rs-fMRI has successfully characterized alterations in functional networks and identified potential biomarkers of cognitive impairment. This review not only summarizes the existing evidence on the efficacy of acupuncture in treating VCI, but also synthesizes the current evidence from rs-fMRI studies to elucidate how acupuncture improves cognitive function in VCI patients through central mechanisms.Keywords: vascular cognitive impairment, acupuncture, resting-state functional magnetic resonance, mechanism |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2ec2a119e0e048d9bc65764451bdd4f5 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1178-1998 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Dove Medical Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Clinical Interventions in Aging |
| spelling | doaj-art-2ec2a119e0e048d9bc65764451bdd4f52025-08-20T03:41:11ZengDove Medical PressClinical Interventions in Aging1178-19982025-08-01Volume 20Issue 111911204105600Resting-State fMRI Reveals the Neural Correlates of Acupuncture in the Treatment of Vascular Cognitive ImpairmentLiu Q0Xiao K1Wan P2Zou Q3Department of Rheumatology and ImmunologyDepartment of Rheumatology and ImmunologyDepartment of Rheumatology and ImmunologyDepartment of Rheumatology and ImmunologyQiuping Liu, Kang Xiao, Ping Wan, Qinghua Zou Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, First Affiliated Hospital of Army Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Qinghua Zou, Email zouqinghua318@tmmu.edu.cnAbstract: Vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) represents a spectrum of cognitive deficits caused by cerebrovascular pathology, affecting multiple cognitive domains including memory, executive function, and attention. While pharmacological interventions for VCI remain limited, growing evidence supports acupuncture as an effective and safe therapeutic approach that improves both global cognition and activities of daily living in affected patients. Nevertheless, the neurobiological mechanisms underlying acupuncture’s therapeutic effects require further elucidation. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) has emerged as a powerful neuroimaging tool for investigating brain function in cognitive disorders. This technique detects blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signals that reflect spontaneous neuronal activity during rest, providing insights into functional connectivity patterns and regional brain activity. In neurodegenerative conditions, rs-fMRI has successfully characterized alterations in functional networks and identified potential biomarkers of cognitive impairment. This review not only summarizes the existing evidence on the efficacy of acupuncture in treating VCI, but also synthesizes the current evidence from rs-fMRI studies to elucidate how acupuncture improves cognitive function in VCI patients through central mechanisms.Keywords: vascular cognitive impairment, acupuncture, resting-state functional magnetic resonance, mechanismhttps://www.dovepress.com/resting-state-fmri-reveals-the-neural-correlates-of-acupuncture-in-the-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-CIAvascular cognitive impairmentacupunctureresting-state functional magnetic resonancemechanism |
| spellingShingle | Liu Q Xiao K Wan P Zou Q Resting-State fMRI Reveals the Neural Correlates of Acupuncture in the Treatment of Vascular Cognitive Impairment Clinical Interventions in Aging vascular cognitive impairment acupuncture resting-state functional magnetic resonance mechanism |
| title | Resting-State fMRI Reveals the Neural Correlates of Acupuncture in the Treatment of Vascular Cognitive Impairment |
| title_full | Resting-State fMRI Reveals the Neural Correlates of Acupuncture in the Treatment of Vascular Cognitive Impairment |
| title_fullStr | Resting-State fMRI Reveals the Neural Correlates of Acupuncture in the Treatment of Vascular Cognitive Impairment |
| title_full_unstemmed | Resting-State fMRI Reveals the Neural Correlates of Acupuncture in the Treatment of Vascular Cognitive Impairment |
| title_short | Resting-State fMRI Reveals the Neural Correlates of Acupuncture in the Treatment of Vascular Cognitive Impairment |
| title_sort | resting state fmri reveals the neural correlates of acupuncture in the treatment of vascular cognitive impairment |
| topic | vascular cognitive impairment acupuncture resting-state functional magnetic resonance mechanism |
| url | https://www.dovepress.com/resting-state-fmri-reveals-the-neural-correlates-of-acupuncture-in-the-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-CIA |
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