Objective: To observe the effect of indwelling scalp acupuncture combined with occupational therapy on cognitive dysfunction after stroke.

Methods: Sixty patients with cognitive dysfunction after stroke were recruited from April 2017 to December 2019 and randomly divided into study group (n = 30) and control group (n = 30). The study group received indwelling scalp acupuncture combined with occupational therapy, while the control group only received occupational therapy. The patients were all treated for four weeks. Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) Fuzhou version, Minimental State Examination (MMSE) and Modified Barthel Index were used to evaluate the cognitive function and activities of daily living before and after rehabilitation treatment.

Results: After rehabilitation, the overall score and the scores of each items in MoCA Fuzhou version of two groups were significantly higher than those before rehabilitation (P < 0.05), except for the score of memory and delayed recall ability item of the control group. After rehabilitation, the overall score and the visual space and executive function, orientation, attention, memory and delayed recall ability and calculation scores in MoCA Fuzhou version of the study group were significantly higher than those of the control group (P < 0.05). The Modified Barthel Index and the MMSE scores of the two groups after rehabilitation were significantly higher than those before rehabilitation (P < 0.05), and the degree of improvement of the Modified Barthel Index and MMSE scores of the study group was better than that of the control group (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: Indwelling scalp acupuncture combined with occupational therapy can improve the cognitive function and activities of daily living of patients with cognitive dysfunction after stroke.