title: The Effects of Bushen Capsule on Episodic Memory in Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment Patients: A Pilot Placebo Controlled fMRI Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Observing the effects of a drug on episodic memory and the underlying brain function has extreme significance in evaluating its therapeutic value in treating amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To observe the effects of Bushen capsule (BSC), a Chinese herbal medicine, on episodic memory in aMCI and further explore the underlying mechanism.
  
  
  METHODS
  44 aMCI patients from hospitals and local communities in Beijing were randomly divided into the BSC treatment group (22 patients orally treated with BSC) and the placebo group (22 patients treated with placebo). The duration of intervention lasted for 3 months. Before and after the 3 months treatment, neuropsychological tests and fMRI examinations were carried out to assess cognitive ability and brain activation changes, respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared to the placebo group, the BSC group presented a significant increase in the AVLT(N5) (p = 0.003) and Stroop (C-B) time (p = 0.002). fMRI results showed a reduction of brain negative activation in the right middle temporal gyrus and a positive activation enhancement in the right putamen among the BSC group after treatment. Meanwhile, the variation in activation values in the right middle temporal gyrus was significantly correlated with the improvement in test values of AVLT(N5), and the variation in deactivation values in the right putamen was significantly correlated with the improvement in test values of Stroop (C-B) time.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  BSC can improve the behavioral performances of episodic memory in aMCI; this effect may be related to its modulation on the activations of the temporal lobe and the putamen under episodic memory encoding task.
authors: State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, P. R. China.|BABRI Centre, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, P. R. China.
authors: Junying
authors: J
authors: Zhang
authors: State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, P. R. China.|BABRI Centre, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, P. R. China.
authors: Kai
authors: K
authors: Xu
authors: BABRI Centre, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, P. R. China.|Institute of Basic Research in Clinical Medicine, China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing, P.R. China.
authors: Dongfeng
authors: D
authors: Wei
authors: Dongfang Hospital attached to Beijing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing, P.R. China.
authors: Rongjuan
authors: R
authors: Guo
authors: BABRI Centre, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, P. R. China.|Institute of Basic Research in Clinical Medicine, China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing, P.R. China.
authors: He
authors: H
authors: Li
authors: BABRI Centre, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, P. R. China.|Institute of Basic Research in Clinical Medicine, China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing, P.R. China.
authors: Yongyan
authors: Y
authors: Wang
authors: State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, P. R. China.|BABRI Centre, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, P. R. China.
authors: Zhanjun
authors: Z
authors: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000187:drug effects; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D061212:Memory, Episodic; D008609:Mental Status Schedule; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D018697:Nootropic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D010865:Pilot Projects; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: C583062:Bushen formula; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D018697:Nootropic Agents; D010100:Oxygen
keywords: activation; amnestic mild cognitive impairment; compound Chinese medicine; deactivation; episodic memory; functional magnetic resonance imaging