The effect of acupuncture on working memory and anxiety.
Author: Bussell J.
Affiliation:
Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China; National University of Health Sciences, Lombard, IL, USA. Electronic address: JasonBussell@gmail.com.
Conference/Journal: J Acupunct Meridian Stud.
Date published: 2013 Oct
Other:
Volume ID: 6 , Issue ID: 5 , Pages: 241-6 , Special Notes: doi: 10.1016/j.jams.2012.12.006. , Word Count: 178
OBJECTIVE:
The purpose of this study was to investigate whether acupuncture can improve memory and reduce anxiety.
DESIGN, SETTING AND SUBJECTS:
A two-group, randomized, single-blind study involving 90 undergraduate university students was conducted from January to December of 2011.
INTERVENTIONS:
Subjects completed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) form Y-1 (State Anxiety, SA) and Y-2 (Trait Anxiety, TA). Then, each subject lay on a treatment table for 20 minutes. The acupuncture group had needles inserted into select acupoints; control subjects did not. Subjects then completed the STAI form Y-1 again, after which they completed the Automated Operation Span Task (AOSPAN) - a computerized test of working memory.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:
Performance on the AOSPAN and the STAI scores were the main measures of the outcomes.
RESULTS:
The acupuncture group scored 9.5% higher than the control group on the AOSPAN Total Correct Score (65.39 vs. 59.9, p=0.0134), and committed 36% fewer math errors (2.68 vs. 4.22, p=0.0153). Acupuncture subjects also reported lower SA after intervention than control subjects (26.14 vs. 29.63, p=0.0146).
Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier B.V.
KEYWORDS:
acupuncture, anxiety, automated operation span task, state-trait anxiety inventory, working memory
PMID: 24139461
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