Objective To observe the effect of acupuncture for"reinforcing qi and regulating blood to strengthen the root and tonify the kidney" on cerebral glucose metabolism of vascular dementia（VD）patients.Methods Ten patients with vascular dementia were randomized into two groups.The treatment group received acupuncture treatment at Shanzhong（CV 17）

Zhongwan（CV 12）

Qihai（CV 6）

Xuehai（SP 10）

Waiguan（TE 5）

and Zusanli（ST 36）

while the control group was given sham needling in the areas 0.5 cm lateral to the points mentioned above.The treatment was given once a day

5 times a week

8 weeks in succession.Before and after treatment

the scores of mini-mental state examination（MMSE）were calculated and the positron emission tomography（PET）imaging examinations on cerebral functions were applied

based on which

the changes in glucose metabolism of healthy and affected sides in different brain regions were detected.Results After treatment

the MMSE scores of the treatment group and control group were increased with significant difference（P<0.05）.In the treatment group

the glucose metabolism of frontal lobe

thalamus

and caudate nucleus of both sides

and that of temporal lobe

hippocampus

and cingulate gyrus of healthy side were significantly increased than before treatment（P<0.05）.In the control group

the glucose metabolism of frontal lobe and temporal lobe of affected side was decreased than before treatment（P< 0.05）.The glucose metabolism of temporal lobe and caudate nucleus of both sides and that of thalamus of healthy side

and that of frontal lobe of affected side of the treatment group were significantly higher than those of the control group with statistical difference（P<0.05）.Conclusion The acupuncture for"reinforcing qi and regulating blood to strengthen the root and tonify the kidney"is effective in improving the glucose metabolism of the cognition-related brain areas of VD patients

and the effect is related to specific acupoint.