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The Efficacy and Mechanism of Acupuncture Treatment in Patients With Subjective Cognitive Decline

The Efficacy and Neural Mechanism of Acupuncture Treatment in Older Adults With Subjective Cognitive Decline: a Randomized Controlled Trial

Status
UNKNOWN
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT03444896
Enrollment
60
Registered
2018-02-26
Start date
2018-04-25
Completion date
2020-03-31
Last updated
2019-06-17

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

Conditions

Subjective Cognitive Complaint, Subjective Cognitive Decline

Brief summary

This study evaluates the efficacy and mechanism of acupuncture treatment in patients with subjective cognitive decline. Half of patients will receive acupuncture treatment for 12 weeks, while the other half will receive sham acupuncture treatment for 12 weeks .

Interventions

Acupuncture needles were placed at acupoints Baihui (DU20), Shenting (DU24), Fengfu (DU16), Fengchi (GB20), Danzhong (RN17), Zhongwan (RN12), Qihai (RN6), Neiguan (PC6), Zusanli (ST36), Xuehai (SP10), Xinshu (BL15), Yixi (BL45), Tongli (HT5), and Zhaohai(KI6). Electrodes were attached the needle holders of the Baihui (DU20) and Shenting (DU24). The acupuncture needles are inserted through the adhesive pads and are retained for 20 minutes in every course. Treatment will be conducted over a period of 3 months, at a frequency of two times per week.

Sham acupoint (SA) 1 located in the midpoint of Shuaigu and Touwei. SA2 located in the midpoint of Touwei and Yangbai. SA3 located in the midpoint of Tianyou and Tianrong. SA4 located in 4 cun above umbilicus and 1 cun right of umbilical midline (UM). SA5 located in 2 cun below umbilicus and 1 cun right of UM. SA6 1 cun outside the point 1/4 of the line between Shenmen and Shaohai. SA7 located in 1 cun outside the midpoint of Shaohai and Tongli. SA8 located in 6 cun above mediosuperior border of the patella. SA9 located in 3 cun below the Yanglingquan and middle of the gallbladder and bladder channels. SA10 located in midpoint between Jiexi and Qiuxu. SA11 and SA12 located in 2 cun from the lower border of spinous process of fifth or sixth thoracic vertebra. Electrodes were attached the needle holders of the bilateral SA 2. Procedures, and other treatment settings were the same in the acupuncture group but with no skin penetration, electricity output, or needle manipulation for de qi.

Sponsors

Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE (Subject, Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
55 Years to 75 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

1. Male and female adults aged 55-75; 2. Native Chinese speakers with right-handed and at least a primary school education; 3. Self-reported persistent memory decline, which was confirmed by caregivers; 4. Normal general cognitive function and not meeting the criterion of mild cognitive impairment, as defined by performance within the normal range on both measures within at least one cognitive domain or in each of the three cognitive domains sampled (adjusted for age and education); 5. No or minimal impairment in activities of daily living;

Exclusion criteria

1. Presence of positive neurologic history (e.g., traumatic brain injury, stroke, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, etc.) ; 2. treatments that would affect cognitive function; 3. Presence of significant psychiatric history (e.g., bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, etc.) and/or severe anxiety and depression; 4. Presence of serious heart, kidney, liver, gastrointestinal, infectious, endocrine disease or cancer; 5. History of alcohol or drug abuse/addiction in nearly two years; 6. Any contraindications for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans (e.g., aneurysm clip pacemaker, etc.); 7. Significant visual and/or auditory impairment uncorrected by aids, and unable to perform neuropsychological evaluations; 8. Currently enrolled in another research study; 9. Received acupuncture treatment in the preceding month.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Change in cognitive functionChanges from baseline at 12 weeksA composite score will be computed by averaging z-scores from Animal Fluency Test, Digit Symbol Substitution Test, Trail-Making Test Parts A and B, Stroop Color Word Test C, Digit Span Test, Boston Naming Test, Clock Drawing Test and Auditory Verbal Learning Test delayed recall and delayed recognition.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Neuroplasticity outcomebaseline and 12 weeksNeuroplasticity outcome changes are measured by structural MRI (including DTI), task functional MRI, resting state functional MRI and arterial spin labeling.

Other

MeasureTime frameDescription
The degree of complaint in cognitive declinebaseline and 12 weeksmeasured by Subjective Cognitive Decline Questionnaire.
The sleep qualitybaseline and 12 weeksMeasured by Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index
The depressive symptomsbaseline and 12 weeksMeasured by Geriatric depression scale
The face recognition ability and sense of directionbaseline and 12 weeksMeasured by Face recognition questionnaire and Santa Barbara Sense of Direction scale

Countries

China

Contacts

Primary ContactLiu c zhi, PHD
lcz623780@126.com010-53912201
Backup ContactShi G xia, MD
shiguangxia2008@126.com010-53912201

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 20, 2026