Role of Acupuncture in the Management of Severe Acquired Brain Injuries (sABIs)

Table 1

Physiopathology of DOCs.

Primary brain injuries	secondary brain injuries
Focal
(i) contusion	(i) ionic imbalance (due to hypoxia and hypotension)
(ii) laceration	(ii) glutamate excitotoxicity
(iii) hemorrhage	(iii) oxidative stress (generated by mitochondrial dysfunction)
Diffuse
(i) concussion	(iv) ischemic injury
(ii) diffuse axonal injury	(v) edema formation
	(vi) intracranial hypertension
	(vii) neuroinflammation
	(viii) blood-brain barrier disruption