Brain Activity Changes Measured by EEG and fMRI on Healthy Volunteers After Complex Somatosensory Stimulation

Brain Activity Changes Measured by EEG and fMRI on Healthy Volunteers After Complex Somatosensory Stimulation With Acupuncture Needles

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT01079689

Acronym

BANS

Enrollment

Registered

2010-03-03

Start date

2010-02-28

Completion date

2011-03-31

Last updated

2012-07-10

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Healthy Volunteers

Keywords

basic science, healthy volunteers

Brief summary

The purpose of this study is to evaluate effects on the brain after complex somatosensory stimulation with acupuncture needle. EEG and fMRI measurements will be performed.

Detailed description

The aim of the study is to evaluate whether the point locations chosen for a complex somatosensory stimulation with acupuncture needles have an essential impact on the change of brain activity in healthy volunteers. For this, the investigators compare three different point locations (one acupuncture point and two non-acupuncture points) stimulated with acupuncture needles. Two measurements each with 20 subjects are planned. * With the EEG measurements the impact of the stimulation's location on background rhythm especially in the somatosensoric cortex is evaluated. * With the fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) measurements the impact of the stimulation's location on BOLD (Blood Oxygen Level Dependency) signals and on functional connectivity is evaluated.

Interventions

OTHERneedle stimulation

stimulation with acupuncture needles

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

CROSSOVER

Primary purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Masking

SINGLE (Subject)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to 40 Years

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Inclusion criteria

1. healthy subjects of age from 18 to 40 years (inclusive) 2. right-handed (evaluated by The Edinburgh Inventory) 3. with informed consent signed 4. no acupuncture treatment in the last 12 months 5. no medical knowledge about acupuncture 6. free time to take part in the measurements

Exclusion criteria

1. history of neurological and/or psychiatric diseases 2. history of brain injury 3. cognitive handicap, severe speech disorder, alcohol or drug abuse 4. history of neurosurgical intervention 5. chronic disease (e.g., asthma, diabetes mellitus etc.) with regular use of medications 6. pregnancy (tested by urine pregnancy test before the measurement) or planned pregnancy 7. any contraindication for acupuncture (e.g., anti-coagulation therapy) Additional

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Change in brain background rhythms after stimulation (baseline vs. post stimulation) in comparison between the three different point locations.	26 minutes
Changes in resting state functional connectivity after stimulation (baseline vs. post-stimulation) in comparison between the three different point locations	1 hour

Countries

Germany

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Mar 12, 2026