Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41821637›Full record

ReviewFrontiers in neurology

Integrative neurobiological mechanisms of acupuncture in post-stroke cognitive impairment: from neurotransmission to brain network remodeling.

Wei Li, Lebin Liu, Weiwei Liu, Huiping Liu

Erratum issuedAbstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Frontiers in neurology. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. 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. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Wei Li *Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Hubei Rongjun Hospital, Wuhan, China.
Lebin Liu *Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Hubei Rongjun Hospital, Wuhan, China.
Weiwei LiuDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, Hubei Rongjun Hospital, Wuhan, China.
Huiping LiuDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, Hubei Rongjun Hospital, Wuhan, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) is a prevalent sequela of stroke that severely limits recovery and quality of life. Accumulating evidence indicates that acupuncture exerts significant neuroprotective and cognitive-enhancing effects in PSCI; however, the underlying mechanisms remain fragmented across molecular, cellular, and systems levels. This review proposes an integrative neurobiological framework linking neurotransmission, neuroinflammation, neurotrophic signaling, and brain network remodeling to explain how acupuncture promotes neurorepair and cognitive restoration after stroke. We systematically summarized recent clinical and experimental findings from 2001 to 2025 and categorized the converging mechanisms into five inter-related dimensions: (1) regulation of neurotransmitters and synaptic plasticity; (2) anti-inflammatory and immune modulation; (3) anti-oxidative stress and anti-apoptotic actions; (4) up-regulation of BDNF-related pathways and neurotrophic signaling; and (5) enhancement of neurogenesis and reconstruction of brain functional networks. Collectively, these multimodal effects form a systems-level cascade through which acupuncture may facilitate neuroplastic remodeling and cognitive recovery. Current challenges include heterogeneity of study design, insufficient multi-omics validation, and limited longitudinal imaging evidence. Future research should integrate molecular biomarkers, neuroimaging, and clinical outcomes to verify this multi-layered mechanistic framework and to guide precision acupuncture protocols for PSCI rehabilitation.

Indexed as

acupunctureBDNF signalingbrain network remodelingneuroinflammationneuroplasticityneurotransmissionpost-stroke cognitive impairmentsystems neurobiology

Identifiers

PMID41821637
PMCPMC12975595

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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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.