{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,11,2]],"date-time":"2026-11-02T08:47:11Z","timestamp":1793609231519,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":50,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,1]],"date-time":"2025-10-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1759276800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Neurol."],"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Background<\/jats:title><jats:p>Tongue Tri-needle has demonstrated clinical efficacy in post-stroke dysphagia, but its neuromodulatory mechanisms in infratentorial stroke patients remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the characteristics of resting-state brain functional networks in infratentorial stroke patients with dysphagia and the dynamic modulation of brain functional networks induced by Tongue Tri-needle.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>Thirty eligible infratentorial stroke patients with dysphagia were randomly assigned to either the Tongue Tri-needle group or sham needle group. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was used to monitor brain activity across four experimental states. Graph theory analysis quantified changes in brain network functional connectivity (FC) and topological properties, complemented by clinical swallow function assessments.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>Baseline analyses showed reduced functional connectivity between the fronto-temporo-parietal regions and the primary sensorimotor cortex, with the degree of reduction correlating with clinical impairment. Acupuncture specifically enhanced FC between frontal and temporal\u2013parietal cortices, strengthened interhemispheric sensorimotor cortex connectivity, and significantly increased network centrality in the right dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). During the electroacupuncture phase, frontotemporal-sensorimotor connections were further strengthened, whereas the post-needle resting state revealed adaptive reorganization of the network.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title><jats:p>Infratentorial stroke patients with dysphagia exhibit disrupted functional connectivity within the fronto-temporo-sensorimotor network, which is associated with clinical impairment. Tongue Tri-needle multi-stage, selective reconfiguration of brain functional networks, particularly by modulating the right DLPFC, a key hub, to promote functional integration of swallow-related neural networks. These findings provide a neuromodulatory mechanism supporting the use of Tongue Tri-needle for post-stroke dysphagia.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fneur.2025.1664668","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,1]],"date-time":"2025-10-01T04:17:30Z","timestamp":1759292250000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":8,"title":["Immediate modulation effects of Tongue Tri-needle on brain functional networks in infratentorial stroke patients with dysphagia: a randomized controlled trial"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Fang","family":"Sun","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xiaoyan","family":"Huang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jia","family":"Qiao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lian","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xue","family":"Cheng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yan","family":"Chen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"858","DOI":"10.1016\/S1474-4422(23)00153-9","article-title":"The assessment of dysphagia after stroke: state of the art and future directions","volume":"22","author":"Labeit","year":"2023","journal-title":"Lancet Neurol"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"107682","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jstrokecerebrovasdis.2024.107682","article-title":"Correlation between lesion location and dysphagia characteristics in post-stroke patients","volume":"33","author":"Yang","year":"2024","journal-title":"J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"103104","DOI":"10.1016\/j.nicl.2022.103104","article-title":"Increased cortical-medulla functional connectivity is correlated with swallowing in dysphagia patients with subacute infratentorial stroke","volume":"35","author":"Dai","year":"2022","journal-title":"NeuroImage Clin"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"488","DOI":"10.3389\/fnins.2018.00488","article-title":"Clinical effects and differences in neural function connectivity revealed by MRI in subacute hemispheric and brainstem infarction patients with dysphagia after swallowing therapy","volume":"12","author":"Huang","year":"2018","journal-title":"Front Neurosci"},{"key":"ref5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"110880","DOI":"10.1016\/j.brainresbull.2024.110880","article-title":"Hemodynamic signal changes during volitional swallowing in dysphagia patients with different unilateral hemispheric stroke and brainstem stroke: a near-infrared spectroscopy study","volume":"207","author":"Ma","year":"2024","journal-title":"Brain Res Bull"},{"key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"199","DOI":"10.1007\/s10072-021-05654-9","article-title":"Metaplasticity in the human swallowing system: clinical implications for dysphagia rehabilitation","volume":"43","author":"Cheng","year":"2022","journal-title":"Neurol Sci"},{"key":"ref7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1124064","DOI":"10.3389\/fnins.2023.1124064","article-title":"Tongue acupuncture for the treatment of post-stroke dysphagia: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials","volume":"17","author":"Li","year":"2023","journal-title":"Front Neurosci"},{"key":"ref8","volume-title":"Anatomy, head and neck, submental triangle. 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