[Clinical observation on head point-through-point electroacupuncture for treatment of poststroke depression].
OBJECTIVE
To observe clinical therapeutic effect of head point-through-point electroacupuncture (EA) on poststroke depression (PSD) and to study the mechanism.


METHODS
One hundred and eight cases of PSD were randomly divided into a point-through-point EA group (n = 38), a non point-through-point group (n = 36) and a western medicine group (n = 34). After treatment of 28 days, their therapeutic effects, scores of HAMD depression scale and SDS self-rating scale, and plasma 5-HT contents were compared before and after treatment among the 3 groups.


RESULTS
The effective rate of 86.84% in the point-through-point EA group was better than 63.89% in the non point-through-point group and 67.65% in the western medicine group (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). Plasma 5-HT content in the point-through-point EA group increased significantly, with a very significant difference as compared with that of the non point-through-point group (P < 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
Head point-through-point therapy can obviously increase plasma 5-HT content of the patient with PSD, so as to cure poststroke depression, with a better therapeutic effect than other two groups.
Dong
Jian-Ping
JP
Section of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Heilongjiang Provincial Academy of TCM, Harbin 150036, China. Dongjianpingls@126.com
Sun
Wei-Yi
WY
Wang
Shun
S
Wu
Zhi-Quan
ZQ
Liu
Fei
F
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003863:Depression / Q000628:therapy*; D015671:Electroacupuncture; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012535:Scalp; D012701:Serotonin / Q000097:blood; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications*
D012701:Serotonin