[Therapeutic effect of electric-balance stimulation with scalp acupuncture for motor aphasia after cerebral infarction].

OBJECTIVE To compare the clinical efficacy between scalp acupuncture electrical stimulation and routine scalp acupuncture for motor aphasia in subacute stage of cerebral infarction. METHODS A total of 54 patients with motor aphasia in subacute stage of cerebral infarction were randomly divided into an observation group (27 cases, 1 case dropped off) and a control group (27 cases, 2 cases dropped off ). Both groups were treated with routine medication and language training. In the observation group, scalp acupuncture was given at bilateral lower 2/5 of the parietal and temporal anterior oblique line and temporal frontline; after the arrival of qi, the electrical stimulation with disperse-dense wave was given at the affected side and continuous wave was given at healthy side. The control group was treated with routine scalp acupuncture at lower 2/5 of the parietal and temporal anterior oblique line and temporal frontline of the affected side, once a day, five times as a course, totaling two courses of treatment. The aphasia battery of Chinese (ABC) score and Boston diagnostic aphasia examination (BDAE) grade were observed before and after treatment. The levels of oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO2), deoxyhemoglobin (D-Hb) and total hemoglobin (T-Hb) in local cerebral cortex of the two groups were measured in real time using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) before and after treatment. The clinical efficacy of the two groups was compared. RESULTS After treatment, the scores of listening comprehension, retelling, naming, spontaneous conversation and BDAE grade in the two groups were improved compared with those before treatment (P<0.01, P<0.05), and those in the observation group were better than the control group (P<0.05). Compared before treatment, the levels of HbO2 and T-Hb were increased (P<0.01), and the levels of D-Hb were decreased (P<0.01) after treatment in the two groups. The levels of HbO2 and T-Hb in the observation group were higher than those in the control group (P<0.05), and the level of D-Hb was lower than that in the control group (P<0.05). The total effective rate was 92.3% (24/26) in the observation group, which was higher than 84.0% (21/25) in the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION The scalp acupuncture electrical stimulation could improve cerebral circulation, activate specific functional areas of cerebral cortex, and promote the reconstruction and recovery of brain language function. Its curative effect is better than conventional scalp acupuncture.