Effect and Potential Mechanism of Electroacupuncture Add-On Treatment in Patients with Parkinson's Disease.
Objectives. To explore effectiveness and mechanisms of electroacupuncture (EA) add-on treatment in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. Methods. Fifty PD patients were randomly assigned to drug plus EA (D + EA) group and drug alone (D) group. Subjects in D + EA group received stimulation in points of bilateral fengfu, fengchi, hegu, and central dazhui. Participants were evaluated by scales for motor and nonmotor symptoms. Levels of neuroinflammatory factors and neurotransmitters in serum were detected. Results. EA add-on treatment remarkably reduced scores of Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) III and its subitems of tremor, rigidity, and bradykinesia and conspicuously decreased UPDRS III scores in patients with bradykinesia-rigidity and mixed types and mild severity. Depression and sleep disturbances were eased, which were reflected by decreased scores of Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and elevated noradrenaline level. Effects of EA add-on treatment on motor symptoms and sleep disturbances were superior to drug alone treatment, markedly improving life quality of PD patients. EA add-on treatment decreased nitric oxide level in serum. Conclusions. EA add-on treatment is effective on most motor symptoms and some nonmotor symptoms and is particularly efficacious in PD patients at early stage. Antineuroinflammation may be a mechanism of EA add-on treatment.
Department of Neurology, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100050, China.
Fang
F
Wang
Department of Neurology, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100050, China.
Li
L
Sun
Department of Acupuncture, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100050, China.
Xiao-Zhe
XZ
Zhang
Department of Physiology, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China.
Jun
J
Jia
Department of Neurology, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100050, China.
Zhuo
Z
Liu
Department of Neurology, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100050, China.
Xi-Yan
XY
Huang
Department of Geriatrics, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100050, China.
Shu-Yang
SY
Yu
Department of Neurology, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100050, China.
Li-Jun
LJ
Zuo
Department of Neurology, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100050, China.
Chen-Jie
CJ
Cao
Department of Physiology, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China ; Key Laboratory for Neurodegenerative Disorders of the Ministry of Education, Beijing 100069, China ; Center of Parkinson's Disease, Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Beijing 100053, China.
Xiao-Min
XM
Wang
Department of Geriatrics, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100050, China ; Center of Parkinson's Disease, Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Beijing 100053, China ; China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological Diseases, Beijing 100050, China ; Beijing Key Laboratory on Parkinson's Disease, Beijing 100053, China.
Wei
W
Zhang