Objective To observe the intervention effect of acupuncture at the anterior oblique parietotemporal line on gray matter remodeling in patients with hemiplegia of cerebral infarction based on voxel-based morphology(VBM)

and to reveal the advantages and central effect sites of scalp acupuncture for hemiplegia of cerebral infarction. Methods A total of 18 patients with hemiplegia of cerebral infarction in the right basal ganglia and 18 healthy subjects were enrolled and T1 structural scan was performed. The patients were randomly divided into scalp acupuncture group and non-scalp acupuncture group

with 9 patients in each group. SPSS20.0 was used to analyze the degree of neurological deficit(NIHSS) before and after treatment

and SPM8 software package was used to compare the change in gray matter after treatment between the two groups

the difference in gray matter between patients and healthy subjects. Results After treatment

the scalp acupuncture group had a significant reduction in NIHSS(P<0.05)

while the non-scalp acupuncture group had no significant change in NIHSS(P>0.05); the scalp acupuncture group had a significantly lower NIHSS than the non-scalp acupuncture group after treatment(P<0.05). Compared with the healthy subjects

the patients with cerebral infarction had a voxel increase of gray matter in the bilateral cerebellum; after 2 weeks of treatment

the scalp acupuncture group had a voxel increase of gray matter in the motor-related cortex(such as the cerebellum

the anterior cingulate

the basal nucleus

and the medial frontal gyrus) and some parts of the sensory cortex

while the non-scalp acupuncture group had a slight voxel increase of gray matter in few brain regions which were not associated with motor. After treatment

the scalp acupuncture group had a voxel increase in the brain regions of the basal ganglia

mainly the lenticular nucleus and the claustrum. Compared with the non-scalp acupuncture group after treatment

the scalp acupuncture group had a greater gray matter increase in the brain regions mainly in the bilateral cerebellar cortex. Conclusion Acupuncture at the anterior oblique parietotemporal line can promote neurological function recovery in patients with hemiplegia

possibly by promoting gray matter remodeling in the motor centers of the extrapyramidal system(mainly the bilateral cerebellum and the contralateral basal ganglia) and some parts of the sensory cortex and inducing functional compensation in corresponding brain regions.