Exploring The Changes of Functional Connectivity in the Limbic System of Acupuncturing Amnestic Mild cognitive impairment Based on functional MRI

Yingmei Han¹Yi-jie Li¹Heng Zhang¹Ze Feng¹Wei-qing Li¹Han-xi Zhang¹Ming Yang¹Bing-yuan Chu¹Feng Wang^2*

• ¹Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin, China
• ²Division of CT and MRI, First Affiliated Hospital, Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine,, Harbin, Jilin Province, China

Objective:We conduct an investigation of the FC of limbic system networks in amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and speculate on the brain effect mechanism of acupuncture therapy based on resting - state Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (rs - fMRI). Result: (1) Compared with the HC group, there were significant differences in the FC between Seed14 of the true-acupoint group before acupuncture intervention and multiple brain regions(enhanced with Seed 7 and weakened with Seed 15). There were differences in the FC of Seed4, Seed29, and Seed30 in the sham-acupoint group, indicating that there were baseline differences among aMCI patient groups. (2) After acupuncture in the true-acupoint group, the FC between multiple seed points and brain regions decreased, while the differences before and after the intervention in the sham-acupoint group mostly did not pass the Family-Wise Error (FEW) correction. (3) Compared with the HC group, the FC of seed points in both the true-acupoint group and the sham-acupoint group mainly decreased after acupuncture. The true-acupoint group involved a wider range of brain regions (the middle frontal gyrus, the left medial superior frontal gyrus, the middle part of the left cingulate gyrus and the gyri surrounding its lateral side, the gyri below the bilateral parietal bones except the supramarginal gyrus and the angular gyrus, the precuneus, etc.). (4) The FC between Seed14 and the left superior frontal gyrus medialis (Seed7) , as well as the right caudate nucleus of the true-acupoint group was enhanced before acupuncture and decreased after acupuncture, which may serve as an observational indicators for the intervention of aMCI by acupuncture at acupoints. (5) The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score is more representative in characterizing the abnormal FC between brain regions in aMCI patients. Conclusion: The cerebral effect mechanism of acupuncture at acupoints for aMCI is more complex. It can regulate the functional connections within the limbic system and between the limbic system and other brain regions, mainly manifested as a decrease. Among them, the FC among Seed17-Parietal_Inf_L, Seed25-Frontal_Mid_L, and See25-Frontal_Sup_Medial_L has become a statistically significant detection index.