Acupuncture for Stroke Recovery



Status:Recruiting
Healthy:No
Age Range:20 - 60
Updated:1/11/2019
Start Date:November 18, 2016
End Date:August 2019
Contact:Olanta Chandler
Email:bartoo02@nyumc.org
Phone:212 263 0844

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Understanding the Cognitive Benefits of Acupuncture for Stroke Recovery Through fMRI

Based on the evidence, a pre-post test pilot study design will be implemented to clarify the
benefits of an acupuncture intervention before and after treatment. The initial assessment
will contain a brief demographic interview and a review of medical records, and both pre and
post-intervention evaluations will comprise an imaging protocol that includes RS-fMRI, pCASL,
diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI), and a brief cognitive assessment, as described in greater
detail below. Several quantitative measures within DMN regions will be generated and compared
between pre- and post-acupuncture therapy. These include 1) RS-fMRI measures such as
connectivity strength and fractional amplitude of low frequency fluctuations (fALFF); 2)
regional CBF measured with pCASL; 3) water diffusion measures for microstructural changes
with DKI.

A pilot sample of 5 individuals with left CVA's will participate in a 6 session acupuncture
intervention. Pre and post fMRI and cognitive data will be compared.

The objectives of this study are 1) to determine the effects of acupuncture in improving
cognitive performance in a pilot sample of 5 individuals who have experienced a left CVA and
2) to clarify the mechanism of improvement via functional brain imaging.

Inclusion Criteria:

- Participants must have experienced a left Cerebrovascular Accident (CVA) at least one
year prior to study participation and the injury timeframe is 1-10 years post stroke

- Be able to participate in the cognitive testing that has been validated with
English-speaking samples

- Be right hand dominant

- Have an educational level between 14-18 years

- Evidence history of cognitive decline post-stroke without significant impairment

- Have adequate vision, hearing, communication, and motor skills

Exclusion Criteria:

- Evidence cognitive impairment that would negatively impact capacity to understand and
participate in this study

- Be participating in active therapeutic treatments that may independently improve
cognitive function

- Have had a change in medication over two weeks before the start of study procedures or
through the study protocol

- Have contraindications for acupuncture or MRI.

Contraindications to fMRI include:

- having a pacemaker, defibrillator or wires other than sternal wires.

- Metallic foreign body in the eye - these might move or heat during scanning resulting
in serious eye injury.

- Deep brain stimulator

- Swan-Ganz catheter

- Bullets or gunshot pellets - near great vessels or vital organs, such as the lungs,
heart or brain,

- Cerebral aneurysm clips - if magnetic, can move. Also not scanned if type unknown.

- Cochlear implant - malfunction.

- Magnetic dental implants - loss of magnetic hold to keep the implant in place.

- Certain Drug infusion devices

- Main contraindications for acupcunture in this study include: Pregnancy, IV
anticoagulant therapy, uncontrolled coagulation blood disorders like haemophilia,
malignant tumors, and fear of needles.
We found this trial at
1
site
550 1st Ave
New York, New York 10016
(212) 263-7300
Principal Investigator: Barbara Siminovich-blok, MD
New York University School of Medicine NYU School of Medicine has a proud history that...
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from
New York, NY
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