Basic science
Conditions
Interventions
Group 1: The IMACU study is an exploratory functional MRI study aimed at investigating the neural correlates of real and imagined somatosensory stimulation at acupuncture points. Healthy participants
on the second day, only the imagined stimulation is performed. Since three points (an acupuncture point and two control points) are stimulated and imagined, this results in six different interventions
Sponsors
Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to 50 Years
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: 1. Healthy, consenting participants aged 18 to 50 years 2. Informed consent (both written and oral) 3. Availability to participate in the study sessions 4. Existing health insurance to allow for follow-up in case of incidental findings
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: 1. Known aphantasia (lack of sensory imagination) 2. Past or current severe neurological and/or psychiatric disorders 3. History of brain injury 4. History of neurosurgical procedures involving the brain 5. Cognitive deficits and severe speech disorders 6. Alcohol or drug dependence 7. Chronic illness (e.g., asthma, diabetes mellitus) requiring regular medication 8. Use of acute medication or drugs during the measurement period 9. Current pregnancy or planned pregnancy during study participation 10. Contraindications for acupuncture (e.g., use of anticoagulants, inflammation at the insertion site) 11. Exclusion criteria for MRI scanning (e.g., metal implants, pacemakers, claustrophobia, hearing loss above 30 dB, tinnitus, etc.) 12. Current participation in another interventional study
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| The main objective of the study is to evaluate whether imagined acupuncture leads to similar changes in brain activity as real acupuncture at an acupuncture point. However, since this is an exploratory study, there is no primary outcome. All outcomes should therefore be considered exploratory. | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| a. Accuracy of the decodings using multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) of the differences in BOLD activity between the different conditions. b. BOLD activity during imagination and stimulation. c. Self-assessed imagery ability recorded with the self-developed Vividness of Tactile Imagery Questionnaire (VTIQ). d. Perception of the intervention using a self-developed questionnaire for recording sensations based on the MGH Acupuncture Sensation Scale (MASS) (Kong et al., 2007), measured after each intervention. | — |
Countries
Germany
Contacts
Public ContactDaniel Pach
Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Outcome results
None listed