Vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) is a cognitive impairment syndrome with cerebrovascular disease and its risk factors as the core cause. In recent years, the application of scalp acupuncture in the treatment of VCI has received extensive attention. This article focuses on the mechanism of scalp acupuncture in the treatment of VCI, and systematically summarizes its regulation of pro-inflammatory signaling pathways, inhibition of excessive activation and polarization of microglia, regulation of astrocyte function, activation of cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathways, protection of blood-brain barrier integrity, and balance of neuro-endocrine-immune networks, thereby inhibiting excessive inflammatory response and improving cognitive function. Furthermore, it elaborates on the key role of scalp acupuncture in alleviating neural damage and delaying the progression of VCI, providing a scientific basis and reference for further investigation of its anti-inflammatory mechanism and clinical application.

Stroke is a major disease with high incidence, disability rate, and mortality worldwide. In recent years, a large number of studies have comfirmed that acupuncture treatment for ischemic stroke is closely related to the regulation of autophagy mechanisms. This article summarizes the literature in recent years, discusses the effects of acupuncture on the degradation pathways mediated by autophagosomes, the expression of autophagy-related proteins, autophagy-related pathways, and the impact of mitophagy, and further explores the mechanisms of acupuncture in regulating autophagy to improve ischemic stroke, providing new ideas and schemes for clinical treatment.