[Effects on electro-scaip acupuncture on cerebral dopamine transporter in patients with Parkinson' s disease].

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effect of electro-scalp acupuncture (ESA) on dopamine transporter (DAT) in basal ganglia (BG) of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) by single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT).

METHODS

Ten patients with primary PD were divided equally into two groups randomly. Patients in the treated group received ESA at points of MS6, MS4, MS8, MS9 and MS14, for patients with unilateral lesions, ESA was applied on contralateral points, while for those with bilateral lesions, points of both sides were stimulated, the depth of puncturing was made to arrive at the galea aponeurotica. Patients in the control group took medopa orally in the dosage of 125 mg, 3 times per day for mild, 250 mg, 3 times per day for moderate and 250 mg, 4 times per day for severe cases. All the patients were examined with 99mTc-TRODAT- 1 SPECT before and after 6 weeks' treatment to analyze the activity of DAT by ratio of basal ganglia/occipital (BG/OC) using regional of interesting (ROI) technique.

RESULTS

The uptake of 99mTc-TRODAT-1 increased after treatment in both groups. In the treated group, the homolateral (of the affected limbs, the same below) BG/OC ratios before and after treatment were 1.1883 +/- 0.1471 and 1.2416 +/- 0.3146 respectively, and those in the control group 1.1597 +/- 0.0568, 1.2053 +/- 0.1153, showing no significant difference between them (P > 0.05); while the contralateral BG/OC ratios before and after treatment were 0.9019 +/- 0. 1210 and 0.9496 +/- 0.2522 respectively in the treated group, and 1.0436 +/- 0.1393 and 1.2972 +/- 0.2612 respectively in the control group. The difference value of contralateral BG/OC before and after treatment in the control groups was significantly different (P<0.05). But at other cerebral regions, 99mTc-TRODAT-1 SPECT showed no difference between the two groups in changes before and after treatment, therefore, showed no difference in effect of improving DAT between the two groups (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

ESA could reduce the loss of DAT in basal ganglia and improve its activity in patients with PD to protect the dopamine neuron, so as to delay the progression of PD and alleviate clinical symptoms of patients.