Effect of robot-assisted gait training combined with electroacupuncture on lower limb motor function and brain network characteristics in stroke: an EEG study.

Stroke survivors often struggle with walking and leg movement even after initial recovery. Researchers in China studied whether combining electroacupuncture with robotic gait training could help improve these lingering problems better than robotic training alone. The study followed 45 stroke patients for three weeks. One group received electroacupuncture for 30 minutes daily plus robotic walking assistance, while the other group received only the robotic training. Both groups practiced five days per week.

Both treatments helped patients improve their leg function, walking ability, and balance. However, the group receiving electroacupuncture showed additional benefits in their brain activity patterns. Using electroencephalogram (EEG) brain scans, researchers found that adding electroacupuncture helped restore more balanced brain wave patterns between the two sides of the brain. The combination therapy also strengthened communication between brain regions involved in movement and sensation, and improved the overall efficiency of brain network connections.

These brain changes suggest that electroacupuncture may enhance neuroplasticity—the brain's ability to reorganize and form new connections after injury. This could explain why patients receiving the combined treatment showed improvements beyond what robotic training alone provided. The study indicates that electroacupuncture may work by directly influencing brain reorganization while the robotic training provides physical practice for movement patterns.

For stroke survivors experiencing difficulty with walking and leg movement, this research suggests that combining electroacupuncture with physical rehabilitation may offer enhanced recovery benefits. Both treatments were found to be safe with no reported adverse effects. If considering acupuncture as part of stroke rehabilitation, seek treatment from a licensed acupuncturist experienced in neurological conditions.

This single-center RCT (n=45) compared electroacupuncture combined with robot-assisted gait training (EA+RAGT) versus RAGT alone for post-stroke lower limb dysfunction over three weeks. Both groups received daily 30-minute sessions, five days weekly. The EA+RAGT group (n=22) demonstrated significant improvements in FMA-LE, FAC, and BBS scores comparable to the RAGT-only group (n=23), with additional neurophysiological benefits measured via EEG. Specifically, the combination therapy reduced brain symmetry index in the alpha band, enhanced coherence between CZ and FCZ/FC2/C1 electrodes, and in the theta band showed shortened average path length with improved global efficiency. These EEG findings suggest enhanced functional connectivity in sensorimotor regions and optimized brain network topology. Clinical implications indicate EA+RAGT may promote superior neuroplasticity through reversing post-stroke pathological frequency imbalances and strengthening sensorimotor integration. Both interventions demonstrated safety with no adverse events reported, supporting EA as an adjunctive neuromodulatory intervention in stroke rehabilitation.