Effectiveness of acupuncture for vascular cognitive impairment no dementia: a randomized controlled trial.

Objective:To evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture in patients with vascular cognitive impairment no dementia (VCIND) in comparison with citicoline, an agent for cognitive disturbances associated with chronic cerebral disorders.Design:A randomized controlled multicenter trial.Setting:In three hospitals in Beijing, China.Subjects:A total of 216 patients with VCIND were recruited.Interventions:Patients with VCIND (mean age of 65.4 years) were randomized to receive acupuncture (two sessions per week) or oral citicoline (100 mg three times daily) over three months.Main measures:The primary outcome was the change from baseline to three months in cognitive symptom, measured by Alzheimer’s disease Assessment Scale, cognitive subscale (ADAS-cog). Secondary outcomes included changes from baseline to six months in ADAS-cog, executive function measured by the Clock Drawing Test (CDT), and functional disability measured by the Ability of Daily Living (ADL) scale at three and six months.Results:At three months, th...