目的：运用脑功能成像技术，研究不同穴位针刺前后，血管性痴呆(VD)患者大脑皮层葡萄糖代谢的变化。方法：25例VD病人，随机分为5组。A组治以针对偏瘫的常规穴位(手足三阳经为主)，B组加用百会，C组加用水沟，D组加用神门，E组加用百会、水沟和神门。治疗前后，所有病人均接受正电子发射型计算机断层显像(PET)检测。划定VD患者双侧额叶(眶回)、双侧顶叶、双侧颞叶(海马及海马旁回)、双侧枕叶、双侧丘脑、双侧豆状核、双侧尾核、双侧扣带回、双侧小脑为感兴趣区。结果：针刺偏瘫的常规穴位，豆状核和颞叶葡萄糖代谢升高；针刺百会穴额叶、颞叶和豆状核葡萄糖代谢升高，针刺水沟穴则额叶、丘脑和豆状核升高，针刺神门穴顶叶和豆状核升高，同时针刺三穴，额叶、颞叶、丘脑和豆状核等不同脑区葡萄糖代谢升高。结论：百会、水沟、神门对不同脑功能区的葡萄糖代谢产生不同的影响，在脑区有着不同的作用侧重。

BACKGROUND: Although a specific and satisfactory therapeutic method for vascular dementia(VD) has not been developed, it is important to prevent VD by effectively avoiding risk factors, prevnting cerebrovascular accident(CVA) or preventing the recurrence, development and complications in patients with CVA. Exploring the effective mechanism for VD treatment with electroacupuncture method is one of the hot is suse in the study of VD therapy. OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of electroacupuncture on learning and memory abilities and the apoptosis of cerebral cells in rats with VD DESIGN: A randomized and controlled experimental study. SETTING: Acupuncture and Massage Vocational College and College of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. MATERIALS: Sixty female and male(half-half) healthy adult SD rats, weighing 200-250g, were provided by the Research Center of Laboratory Animals, Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. METHODS: VD model of four-vessel occlusion was made in healthy SD rats from the Experimental Animal Center, Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Morris water maze tests were used for place navigation test and spatial probe test. The apoptosis of nerve cells in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus were also tested with TUNEL method. RESULTS: The escape time(Latency) of rats in model group(58.08