Observational Study Medicine ®
OPEN
The effect of scalp electroacupuncture combined
with Memantine in patients with vascular
dementia
A retrospective study
Aixia Yue, MDa, Xiuqing Han, MDa, Enxia Mao, MMeda, Guangling Wu, MMeda, Junxiang Gao, MDa,
∗
Liping Huang, PhDb, Bin Zhou, MDa,
Abstract
Currently there is no effective treatment for vascular dementia (VaD). Pharmacological treatment often lead to severe complications
and require drug dosage adjustment. This study investigated the effect of scalp electroacupuncture combined with Memantine in
VaD. The safety and antioxidative effect of scalp electroacupuncture were also explored.
A retrospective study was conducted and data of inpatients of Linyi Central Hospital with VaD between June 2017 and May 2018
were collected and sorted. The patients were divided into scalp electroacupuncture-medication (A), scalp electroacupuncture (B) and
medication (control) (C) groups, in which Memantine was prescribed as medication. Cognitive function, activities of daily living and
quality of life assessed by Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Barthel index and dementia quality of life questionnaire; the
contents of superoxide dismutase, lipid peroxide and nitric oxide in blood samples; and adverse reaction were compared.
Data from a total of 150 patients were collected (Group A, n = 55; Group B, n = 50; Group C, n = 45). The post-treatment/follow-up
Montreal Cognitive Assessment, Barthel index and dementia quality of life questionnaire scores were significantly improved in all
groups compared to pre-treatment (groups A and B, P<.01; group C, P<.05). The improvements were significant for groups A vs C,
B vs C (P<0.01, both), and group A vs B (P<.05). The post-treatment/follow-up levels of lipid peroxide and nitric oxide decreased
significantly while superoxide dismutase increased significantly in groups A and B compared to pre-treatment (P<.01, both). The
differences were significant for groups A vs C, and B vs C (P < .01, both), but not significant between groups A and B (P > .05). There
were no significant adverse events occurred during the study and follow-up.
In combined treatment, scalp electroacupuncture works in parallel with Memantine and significantly increase the therapeutic effect
in VaD with no significant adverse events. Scalp electroacupuncture may have the potential to serve as an option or alternative
treatment for VaD. Scalp electroacupuncture may alleviate VaD symptoms through its antioxidative mechanism.
Abbreviations: AD = Alzheimer’s disease, ANOVA = analysis of variance, BI = Barthel index, CDR = clinical dementia rating,
DEMQOL = dementia quality of life questionnaire, LPO = lipid peroxide, MoCA = Montreal Cognitive Assessment, NO = nitric oxide,
ROS = reactive oxygen species, SOD = superoxide dismutase, VaD = vascular dementia.
Keywords: memantine, scalp electroacupuncture, vascular dementia
Editor: Yi Zhu.
This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
Data availability statement: All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article [and its supplementary information files].
The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.
Supplemental Digital Content is available for this article.
All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article [and its supplementary information files].
a
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Linyi Central Hospital, Second People’s Hospital of Linyi City, Linyi City, Shandong, b School of Health and Exercise Science,
Tianjin University of Sport, Tianjin, P.R. China.
∗
Correspondence: Bin Zhou, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Linyi Central Hospital, Second People’s Hospital of Linyi City, No.17 Health Road, Yishui County,
Linyi City, Shandong 276400, China (e-mail: [email protected]).
Copyright © 2020 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial License 4.0 (CCBY-NC), where it is permissible to
download, share, remix, transform, and buildup the work provided it is properly cited. The work cannot be used commercially without permission from the journal.
How to cite this article: Yue A, Han X, Mao E, Wu G, Gao J, Huang L, Zhou B. The effect of scalp electroacupuncture combined with Memantine in patients with
vascular dementia: a retrospective study. Medicine 2020;99:33(e21242).
Received: 26 February 2020 / Received in final form: 12 May 2020 / Accepted: 11 June 2020
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