title: [Impacts of electroacupuncture on left hippocampus NAA/Cr for patients of Uygur and Han nationality with mild cognitive impairment].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To observe the clinical efficacy of electroacupuncture (EA) on mild cognitive impairment (MCI) for patients of Uygur and Han nationality and explore the national diversity among the patients with MCI.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-five cases were divided into Han nationality group (15 cases) and Uygur nationality group (10 cases) according to patient's nationality. In either group, EA was applied to Baihui (GV 20), Fengchi (GB 20), Xuanzhong (GB 39), Fuliu (KI 7), Sanyinjiao (SP 6) and Taixi (KI 3), once per day, 15 treatments made one session and there were 5 days at the interval among the sessions. Totally, 3 sessions of treatment were required. The proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) was used to observe the changes in the ratio of N-acetylaspartate and creatine (NAA/Cr) on the left hippocampus for the patients in two groups before and after treatment as well as the changes in the results of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) separately.
  
  
  RESULTS
  NAA/Cr in Uygur nationality group was higher than that in Han nationality group before treatment (1.659 +/- 0.418 vs 1.137 +/- 0.190, P < 0.05). After treatment, MMSE and MoCA scores all increased apparently as compared with those before treatment in two groups (P < 0.05, P < 0.01), and NAA/Cr on the left hippocampus in either group was up-regulated as compared with that before treatment (both P < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  EA can improve the overall cognitive function for the patients with MCI. There is the national diversity in the partial brain metabolite level between Uygur patients and Han patients with MCI.
authors.affiliation: Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Hospital of TCM, Urumqi 830000, China. xjliuzhiyan@yahoo.com.cn
authors.forename: Zhi-Yan
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Xiao-Lin
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Hong-Yan
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Qu
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: Yi-Mei
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Bao
authors.forename: Li-Li
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.forename: Yi-Xing
authors.initials: YX
authors.lastname: Song
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001224:Aspartic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000032:analysis; D002681:China / Q000208:ethnology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000378:metabolism / Q000628:therapy*; D003401:Creatine / Q000032:analysis*; D015671:Electroacupuncture; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D001224:Aspartic Acid; C000179:N-acetylaspartate; D003401:Creatine