Research Progress and Mechanisms of Acupuncture Combined with Transcutaneous Vagal Nerve Stimulation in the Treatment of Cognitive Impairment after Stroke

Shan Yang, Yongjie Gong, Kai Wu, Haoxing Lei, Yalan Yu

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¹ First Clinical College, Shaanxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Xianyang 712000, Shaanxi Province, China,

² Xi’an Traditional Chinese Medicine Encephalopathy, Xi’an 71000, Shaanxi Province, China,

JCNR 2024 , 8(11), 174–184; https://doi.org/10.26689/jcnr.v8i11.8923

© 2024 by the Authors. Licensee Whioce Publishing, Singapore. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )

Abstract

Cognitive impairment is a common complication after stroke, which not only affects the rehabilitation process of patients but also increases the family and socio-economic burden. Finding an effective treatment for cognitive impairment after stroke is urgent. Acupuncture can effectively activate blood circulation, dredge collaterals, tonify qi and blood, and regulate yin and yang. It is an effective method for the treatment of cognitive impairment after stroke. Recent studies have shown that acupuncture combined with various modern rehabilitation techniques, such as transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation, has better clinical effects than either acupuncture or rehabilitation therapy alone. This article reviews the clinical research and basic mechanisms in this field by searching Chinese and English literature from the past 20 years, aiming to provide research ideas for future studies on the combined treatment of post-stroke cognitive impairment and related mechanisms.

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