Abstract: Objective To observe the effect of scalp acupuncture on cognitive and motor functions of stroke patients in recovery stage.Methods80 stroke patients with cognitive disorder were randomly divided into the scalp acupuncture group (n=41) and control group (n=39). All patients of two groups were treated with routine therapy and rehabilitation training, but the cases of the scalp acupuncture group were added with scalp acupuncture. The cognitive function, motor function and activities of daily living (ADL) of all patients were assessed by delitescence and amplitude of event-related potential (ERP) P300, Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA), Barthel Index (BI) respectively before and 3 months after treatment.ResultsAfter treatment, P300 delitescence of the patients in the scalp acupuncture group shorten to 38 ms in average while in the control group shorten only to 17 ms, the therapeutic effect of the scalp acupuncture group was superior to that of the control group ( P<0.05). The scores of FMA and BI of the patients in the scalp acupuncture group were also better than those in the control group ( P<0.05).ConclusionScalp acupuncture can efficiently improve the cognitive function of stroke patients in the recovery stage, and promote the recovery of motor function and ADL.

Key words: stroke, cognitive disorder, scalp acupuncture, event-related potential