# Electroacupuncture rewires interhemispheric homotopic connectivity to promote motor recovery after ischemic stroke

## TL;DR

Electroacupuncture helps stroke recovery by changing brain connectivity patterns in motor regions, improving movement function in rats.

## Contribution

This study reveals how electroacupuncture modulates interhemispheric connectivity to aid motor recovery after stroke.

## Key findings

- EA increased VMHC in subcortical motor regions and decreased it in somatosensory cortex.
- Enhanced VMHC in the internal capsule correlated with better motor function in EA-treated rats.
- Untreated stroke rats showed progressive VMHC reductions in key brain regions.

## Abstract

To investigate electroacupuncture (EA)-induced reorganization of voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC) and its association with motor recovery in a rat model of ischemic stroke.

Twenty-four female Sprague–Dawley rats were randomized into Sham group, stroke model group and EA group. The EA group received 1-week treatment (2/15 Hz sparse-dense wave, 2 mA, 30 min/day) at GV20. Neurological deficits were assessed using the modified neurological severity score. And resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging was acquired pre-post-intervention for VMHC analysis. Group differences and VMHC-behavior correlations were evaluated.

EA significantly increased VMHC in subcortical motor regions (p = 0.001, alphasim correction) but decreased VMHC in somatosensory cortex versus untreated stroke. Model group showed progressive VMHC reductions in hippocampus, hypothalamus, and somatosensory cortex. Enhanced internal capsule VMHC correlated with improved Longa scores in EA rats (r2 = 0.206, p = 0.009).

EA promotes motor recovery through frequency-specific bidirectional VMHC modulation. This study elucidates EA’s inter-hemispheric connectivity level therapeutic mechanism for stroke rehabilitation.