{
  "abstract": "Background: Post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) significantly burdens individuals and society. While scalp acupuncture and transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) show promise for alleviating cognitive deficits, the optimal temporal sequence of their combined delivery remains uncertain. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of synchronous versus sequential delivery of scalp acupuncture and taVNS for PSCI, and explore central-peripheral neuromodulatory responses associated with intervention timing via multimodal assessment.\n\nMethods: This prospective, randomized controlled trial will allocate 96 eligible PSCI patients equally into three groups. All receive conventional treatment alongside scalp acupuncture and taVNS. The synchronous group undergoes concurrent acupuncture and taVNS. Control Group 1 receives acupuncture followed by taVNS, while Control Group 2 receives taVNS followed by acupuncture. Treatments are administered once daily, 5 days per week, for 4 weeks. To assess the impact of temporal sequencing, multimodal data will be compared at baseline, week 4, and week 8 follow-up. Assessments encompass cognitive function (MoCA, MMSE), activities of daily living (MBI), neuroimaging (rs-fMRI), neuroelectrophysiology (ERP-P300), cerebral hemodynamics (TCD), and adverse events.\n\nDiscussion: Results are expected to evaluate the preliminary efficacy and safety of synchronous versus sequential scalp acupuncture-taVNS delivery for PSCI. Furthermore, findings may help explore the temporal dynamics of neuromodulation across brain networks, neural electrical activity, and cerebral hemodynamics, contributing to the evidence base for standardizing integrative Chinese-western cognitive rehabilitation protocols.\n\nClinical trial registration: https://www.chictr.org.cn/ , Identifier [ChiCTR2600125558].",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "College of Rehabilitation Medicine, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine",
    "Department of Rehabilitation, Affiliated Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine"
  ],
  "article_type": "methods article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 7,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Jingyi Wei"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Xihua Liu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Zhipeng Pan"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Chen Wei"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Ran Wang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Xiaojing Wang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Sai Ma"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/2wbzbpxx5ebvs.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3389/fneur.2026.1931213",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13727402/?tool=EBI",
  "id": "2wbzbpxx5ebvs",
  "issns": [
    "1664-2295"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2026.1931213/full",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Study Protocol"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2707|Acupuncture Treatment Research Studies"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7223067041",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neurology/articles/10.3389/fneur.2026.1931213/pdf",
  "pmcid": "PMC13727402",
  "pmid": "42978602",
  "published": "2026-10-20",
  "publisher": "Frontiers Media SA",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/2wbzbpxx5ebvs.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:20:16Z",
      "native_id": "10.3389/fneur.2026.1931213",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2026.1931213/full"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-04T15:20:45Z",
      "native_id": "PMC:PMC13727402",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13727402"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-06T12:23:17Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13727402",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2026.1931213"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "issn:1664-2295",
      "subfield": "neurology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Effects of synchronous versus sequential scalp acupuncture and transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation on post-stroke cognitive impairment based on multimodal assessments: a single-center randomized controlled trial protocol",
  "title_text": "Effects of synchronous versus sequential scalp acupuncture and transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation on post-stroke cognitive impairment based on multimodal assessments: a single-center randomized controlled trial protocol",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-07T12:20:36Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/2wbzbpxx5ebvs",
  "venue": "Frontiers in Neurology",
  "versions": []
}