Observation on the Efficacy of Acupuncture for Cognitive Function in Patients with Primary Insomnia

Abstract

In order to observe the effect of acupuncture on cognitive function in patients with primary insomnia, we recruited 32 patients with primary insomnia as the acupuncture group and 30 healthy subjects as the control group.And the acupuncture group were treated with scalp acupuncture combined with body-acupuncture for 3 weeks, 5 times a week, with 2 days' rest. The control group was not intervened before and after treatment.To compare the differences of Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Brief Mental State Inventory (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale (MoCA) between the two groups. The results show that： (1) Before treatment, the PSQI score of the acupuncture group was higher than that of the control group(P<0.05),and after treatment, the scores were decreased(P<0.05); (2)There were differences in MMSE and MoCA scores between the two groups before treatment(P<0.05),and after acupuncture treatment, the score was significantly advanced(P<0.05). Ultimately our study suggest that patients with primary insomnia have mild cognitive impairment and acupuncture is effective in the treatment of primary insomnia, which can improve the sleep quality and cognitive function of patients.