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CompletedNCT02868671Updated May 25, 2023

Acupuncture for Mild Traumatic Brain Injury:A Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study

An interventional study of acupuncture and sham acupuncture in Acupuncture, Mild Traumatic Brain Injury and MRI, sponsored by First Affiliated Hospital Xi'an Jiaotong University. Completed at 1 site in China. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 75 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2023-05-25.

Sponsored by First Affiliated Hospital Xi'an Jiaotong University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
66
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 75 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The overall goal of this study is to examine if acupuncture intervention can reduce the post-concussion symptom (PCS), and affective and cognitive complaints among mild traumatic brain injury (TBI). This study also hypothesized that compared to those in the sham acupuncture and waiting list control groups, patients in the real acupuncture group will have fewer symptoms of depression, sleep problems and post-concussion symptoms.

Read the detailed description

Project Background: Acupuncture has been shown in other settings to alleviate symptoms of TBI that are reported to be precursors of post-concussion symptom, including affective (depression, anxiety) and somatic (headache, sleep difficulties) complaints. Evidence suggests that the increased intensity of these symptoms, particularly greater affective distress and injury-associated pain, increases vulnerability to neurodegenerative disease and PTSD. By treating post-TBI symptoms with acupuncture, these predisposing conditions will improve, and, as a result, the incidence of PCS in this patient population will be reduced.

Research plan: The overarching focus of this study is the use of acupuncture treatment, targeted to symptoms of mild TBI. The investigators propose a randomized, sham procedure and usual care-controlled clinical trial of acupuncture beginning at acute phase following mild traumatic brain injury (TBI). Participants meeting eligibility requirements will be randomized to 1 of 3 groups: verum acupuncture, sham acupuncture or waiting-list control. Acupuncture treatments will continue for one month, at which point all participants will be assessed for presence of mild TBI symptoms. Participants will be evaluated again after one-month acupuncture treatment and follow-up post-hospital discharge. The investigators hypothesize that true acupuncture will be more effective than sham acupuncture in reducing these outcomes at after treatment and follow-up stage. Patients were also scanned by 3T MRI scanner at baseline, one-month (after acupuncture treatment).

02

Conditions studied

  • Acupuncture
  • Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
  • MRI

Keywords

  • mild TBI
  • post-concussion sydrome
  • Acupuncture
03

In context

Brain Injuries

2,113 studies on the registry are indexed under Brain Injuries; 385 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 66 is above the median of 48 across 1,331 interventional studies indexed under Brain Injuries.

Browse Brain Injuries studies →

Lead sponsor

First Affiliated Hospital Xi'an Jiaotong University is the lead sponsor of 306 studies on the registry; 86 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

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Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 75 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  • subjects presenting to the study hospital emergency department (ED) after sustaining a acute head injury will be eligible if they:
  • are aged 18-75 years;
  • have a mild TBI, defined by the World Health Organization's Collaborating Centre for Neurotrauma Task Force (2005)
  • no contraindications to MR
  • injury within 7 days

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • experience with acupuncture treatment
  • history of neurological disease, long-standing psychiatric condition, spinal cord injury, head injury, or a history of substance or alcohol abuse
  • intubation and/or presence of a skull fracture
  • administration of sedatives on arrival in the emergency department,
  • the manifestation of mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) due to medications by other injuries (e.g., systemic injuries, facial injuries, or intubation) or other problems (e.g., psychological trauma, language barrier, or coexisting medical conditions), or caused by penetrating craniocerebral injury
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Single (Participant)
Enrollment
66 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    real acupuncture

    Participants will receive treatment four times a week for two weeks and three times a week for two weeks. Participants will be treated with major points: Yintang, Du20 (Bai Hui), LI4 (He Gu), LR3 (Tai Chong), ST36 (Zusanli) (front treatment) or GB20 (Feng Chi), SP6 (Sanyinjiao), BL15 (Xin Shu), BL18 (Gan Shu), BL23 (Shen Shu) (back treatment). The position of the treatment will alternate between sessions such that the first session will be on the back, with the next session on the front. In addition to the 5 required points, acupuncturist will be allowed to choose 1-3 more points. The supplemental points may be chosen from the following: HT7 (Shenmen), PC6 (Neiguan), SI3 (Hou Xi), RN6 (Qi Hai), KI 3 (Taixi), KI 6 (Zhao Hai), SP10 (Xue Hai), BL14 (Jue Yin Shu), BL17 (Ge Shu), BL20 (Pi Shu).

    Other: acupuncture

  • Sham comparator
    sham acupuncture

    Participants randomized to sham acupuncture will receive a 'placebo' acupuncture session. For sham acupuncture, Streitberger needles, which acted like stage dagger with the shaft of the needle retracting into the handle, were placed at non-acupuncture points with the same number of acupuncture points in the VA group. The needle guiding tube will be used to create sensations that mimic needle manipulation.

    Other: sham acupuncture

  • No intervention
    No Intervention

    All participants in this study will not receive interventions.

Interventions

  • Otheracupuncture
  • Othersham acupuncture
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What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Changes in PCS in patients following acupuncture treatments between baseline and after therapy

    Time frame: Baseline, after one-month therapy

Secondary outcomes

  1. Changes in PCS in patients following acupuncture treatments between baseline and 6-12 months follow-up

    Time frame: Baseline, 6-12 months follow-up

  2. Diffusion tensor magnetic metrics changes in patients following acupuncture treatment

    Time frame: baseline, one month

07

Study locations

1 site
  • First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University
    Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, China
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Yes

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on May 25, 2023, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT02868671
Lead sponsor
First Affiliated Hospital Xi'an Jiaotong University
Collaborators
Second Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Aug 16, 2016
Start date
Aug 2016
Primary completion
Aug 2020
Completion
Sep 2020
Last update
May 25, 2023

Study contacts

Ming Zhang, MD
principal investigator · First Affiliated Hospital Xi'an Jiaotong University

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Apr 2022. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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