Evaluating the Long-Term Efficacy of Acupuncture Therapy for Subacute Poststroke Aphasia: Study Protocol for a Randomized, Blinded, Controlled, Multicentre Trial

Table 1

Study design schedule.

Period	Screening and baseline	Treatment (w1–4)				Follow-up (w5–12)	Follow-up (w13–24)
Week (W)	W −1	W1	W2	W3	W4	W12	W24
Eligibility	×
CT or MRI	×
General information	×
Physical examination	×				×	×	×
Medical history and demography	×
Informed consent	×
WAB		×			×	×	×
BDAE		×			×	×	×
Disease Prognosis Scale of ischaemic stroke		×			×	×	×
MRI (3D-T1, RS-fMRI, Task-fMRI, DTI)		×			×	×	×
EEG		×			×	×	×
ERP		×			×	×	×
Discomfort and acceptance of acupuncture		×	×	×	×	×	×
Assessment of blind method		×
Adverse event			×	×	×	×	×
Compliance			×	×	×	×	×

CT, computed tomography; MRI, magnetic resonance imaging; WAB, Western Aphasia Battery; BDAE: Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination; RS-fMRI, resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging; DTI, diffusion tensor imaging; EEG, electroencephalogram; ERP, event-related potentials.