Acupuncture Combined with Musical Therapy in the Treatment of Post-Stroke Depression: A Case Report

Rationale: The clinical treatment of mental symptoms of post-stroke depression (PSD) mainly focuses on western medicines which lead to great pain to patients due to unavoidable side effects. In this study, simultaneous treatment of both body and mind consisting of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) acupuncture combined with musical therapy was conducted to a patient with PSD, with satisfactory clinical efficacy obtained. Patient concerns: The patient was a 53-year old male who suddenly developed weakness of limbs on right side 1 month ago and was diagnosed with cerebral infarction by cranial CT. After treatment in local hospital, he still had inarticulateness and weakness of limbs on right side, complicated with depression symptoms marked by low spirit and pessimism, etc. Diagnosis: The patient in this study was diagnosed by comprehensive assessment methods consisting of biological indicator detection, behavioral indicator detection and imageological detection. Interventions: Simultaneous treatment of both body and mind consisting of TCM acupuncture combined with musical therapy was conducted. Outcomes: After treatment, patient's symptoms, nerve function and activities of daily living (ADL) were improved significantly, Hamilton (HAMD) Depression Scale (17 items) score was reduced, and levels of biological indicators interleukin (IL)-6, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (Hs-CRP) and Homocysteine (Hcy) were reduced and improved significantly. Lessons: Acupuncture combined with musical therapy had significant clinical efficacy in the treatment of PSD and deserved to be further studied. Abbreviations: PSD: post-stroke depression; TCM: traditional Chinese medicine; ADL: activities of daily living; HAMD: Hamilton; IL-6: interleukin-6; TNF-α: tumor necrosis factor-α; Hs-CRP: high-sensitivity C-reactive protein; Hcy: Homocysteine