Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41601528›Full record

SynthesisFrontiers in neuroscience2025

Neuroimaging evidence of acupuncture in cognitive impairment following ischemic stroke: a systematic review.

Chenyang Qin, Bo Li, Bifang Zhuo, Xinming Yang, Ying Cui, Zhihong Meng

Abstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Frontiers in neuroscience, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Chenyang Qin *First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China.
Bo Li *First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China.
Bifang Zhuo *First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China.
Xinming Yang *First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China.
Ying CuiFirst Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China.
Zhihong MengFirst Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Objective: This review aimed to summarize neuroimaging evidence on the effects of acupuncture in post-ischemic stroke cognitive impairment (PISCI) and to explore its potential neural mechanisms. Methods: A systematic search was conducted across multiple databases, including China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), SinoMed (China Biology Medicine Disc), the Chinese Scientific Journal Database (VIP), Wanfang Data, PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Embase, and Web of Science. Studies were selected according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. Risk of bias was assessed for all eligible studies. Results: Eight studies met the inclusion criteria. These studies utilized resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) to investigate the effects of acupuncture on brain activity and metabolic changes. The neuroimaging findings showed that all studies focused on the sustained effects of acupuncture on brain functional activity. Conclusions: This review provides preliminary neuroimaging evidence supporting the potential benefits of acupuncture for PISCI. The findings suggest that the possible mechanisms of acupuncture for PISCI involve changes in the activity and enhanced functional connectivity of cognition-related brain regions. Additionally, acupuncture may influence brain networks and regulate neurochemical metabolites within cognition-related regions. However, as this field remains in its early stages, further validation is needed. Future studies should focus on well-designed, multicenter randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with large sample sizes and incorporate multiple neuroimaging techniques to better clarify and verify the neural mechanisms of acupuncture in PISCI. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO, identifier: CRD420250652194.

Indexed as

acupuncturecognitive impairmentischemic strokeMRIneuroimaging

Identifiers

PMID41601528
PMCPMC12832758

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.