The interventional effect of acupuncture on overall cognitive function in Alzheimer's disease spectrum disorders: A meta-analysis

BackgroundAlzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) cause progressive cognitive decline, with Western medicine only alleviating symptoms at present. Acupuncture shows potential for these disorders, but existing studies have inconsistent results.ObjectiveTo examine the effect of acupuncture on overall cognitive function in patients with AD and MCI via meta-analysis.MethodLiterature from six databases on acupuncture, AD, and MCI was searched. Meta-analyses and moderator analyses were performed using Comprehensive Meta Analysis V3.0.Results52 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving 3362 AD/MCI patients were included. Results showed that acupuncture alone outperformed blank or placebos (SMD=1.09, 95% CI = 0.60, 1.58, p I2 = 91.39%). In addition, acupuncture alone (SMD = 0.45, 95% CI = 0.22, 0.67, p I2 = 69.38%) and combined with Western medicine (SMD = 1.18, 95% CI = 0.92, 1.44, p I2 = 90.73%) were superior to Western medicine alone. Moderator analysis revealed significant effect of type of patients, showing larger effect in AD than MCI in acupuncture combined with Western medicine (Q = 10.20, p = 0.001). Regarding types of acupuncture, manual acupuncture (MA) and electroacupuncture (EA) showed no significant difference between them (alone: Q = 0.38, p = 0.536; combined with Western medicine: Q = 0.57, p = 0.449) and both outperformed Western medicine alone.ConclusionsAcupuncture could improve overall cognitive function in AD and MCI, with similar effects between MA and EA. Due to the heterogeneity and variable methodological quality of the studies included, our results must be interpreted with caution. Still, these results suggest acupuncture may be an adjuvant to Western medicine for eligible patients and a potential alternative for short-term cognitive improvement when Western medicine is contraindicated.