ClinicalTrials.gg
Status unknownNCT05605002Updated Nov 3, 2022

Efficacy and Safety of Intradermal Acupuncture for Major Depressive Disorder

An interventional study of SSRIs and SIA in Major Depressive Disorder, sponsored by Xiaomei Shao. Status unknown at 1 site in China. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 60 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2022-11-03.

Sponsored by Xiaomei Shao · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

The sponsor has not verified this record recently (last verified Nov 2022), so the status shown — last known as Recruiting — may be out of date.

From the registry’s dates

  • Registered 7 months after the study started (first participant enrolled Jan 2022, registered Aug 2022).
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
90
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 60 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a common mental illness that severely affects the health and quality of life of patients. Treatment with acupuncture alone or a combination of appropriate adjuncts has been reported to be significantly effective in reducing the severity of MDD, relieving patients' somatic symptoms and improving sleep. This study will focus on the intradermal acupuncture, which is more convenient, gentler and has longer lasting effects. The aim is to study the efficacy and safety of intradermal acupuncture for MDD, and to preliminarily explore the central nervous mechanisms by which it exerts its therapeutic effects.

Read the detailed description

A total of 90 patients with MDD who meet the inclusion criteria will be included in the study. Participants will be randomly assigned 1:1:1 to the waiting list group (patients in this group will be treated with selective 5-hydroxytryptamine reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) only), sham intradermal acupuncture combined with SSRIs (SIA) group and active intradermal acupuncture combined with SSRIs (AIA) group. The study will assess the efficacy and safety of intradermal acupuncture for MDD and examine whether intradermal acupuncture reduces side effects and improves the efficacy of SSRIs for MDD. In addition, the study will use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to study the possible central mechanisms by which intradermal acupuncture exerts its antidepressant effects.

02

Conditions studied

  • Major Depressive Disorder

Keywords

  • Major Depressive Disorder
  • Intradermal Acupuncture
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
03

In context

Depressive Disorder, Major

2,806 studies on the registry are indexed under Depressive Disorder, Major; 565 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 90 is above the median of 80 across 2,338 interventional studies indexed under Depressive Disorder, Major.

Browse Depressive Disorder, Major studies →

Lead sponsor

Xiaomei Shao is the lead sponsor of 8 studies on the registry; 3 are open to participants now.

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

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 60 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  1. Patients diagnosed with MDD according to the International Classification of Disease-10 (ICD-10);
  2. Aged between 18 and 60 years (no limitation on gender);
  3. No depression-related treatment in the past two weeks, except SSRIs;
  4. Patients undergoing MRI and MRS should be right-handed and free of traumatic brain injury, claustrophobia or metal implants;
  5. Written informed consent is obtained by the person or guardian.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. ICD-10 diagnoses: schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, manic episode or other psychotic disorders; alcohol and drug addiction;
  2. Significant skin lesions, severe allergic diseases, tumors, and severe or unstable internal diseases involving the cardiovascular, digestive, endocrine, or hematological system;
  3. Acute suicidal tendency;
  4. Allergy to adhesive tape and fear of intradermal acupuncture;
  5. Pregnancy and lactation;
  6. Mental retardation and difficult to cooperate with doctors.
  7. Participating in other clinical trials.
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Double (Participant, Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
90 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Active comparator
    Waiting list group

    This group will include 30 patients with MDD who will be treated with oral SSRIs only, the dosage of which will be determined by the psychiatrist. After 6 weeks, patients could choose 6 weeks' intradermal acupuncture treatments free of charge.

    Drug: SSRIs

  • Sham comparator
    SIA+SSRIs group

    This group will include 30 patients with MDD who will be treated with sham intradermal acupuncture combined with SSRIs. Acupoints related to MDD will be stimulated by acupuncturists and the dosage of oral SSRIs will be determined by the psychiatrist.

    Drug: SSRIs · Procedure: SIA

  • Experimental
    AIA+SSRIs group

    This group will include 30 patients with MDD who will be treated with active intradermal acupuncture combined with SSRIs. Acupoints related to MDD will be stimulated by acupuncturists and the dosage of oral SSRIs will be determined by the psychiatrist.

    Drug: SSRIs · Procedure: AIA

Interventions

  • DrugSSRIs

    SSRIs antidepressants, including fluoxetine, paroxetine, sertraline, citalopram, etc., will be administered at oral doses determined by the psychiatrist. Once daily for 6 weeks.

    Also known as: selective 5-hydroxytryptamine reuptake inhibitors

  • ProcedureSIA

    This study will select 4 acupoints (all taken bilaterally) commonly used to treat MDD, namely Taichong (LR3), Neiguan (PC6), Sanyinjiao (SP6) and Shenmen (HT7). The SIA will use the same size, colour and material as the AIA with a thin silicone pad in the middle instead of the needle body. SIA will be attached to the acupoints and retained for 72 hours, removed and rested for one day. A total of 10 sessions will be performed over a period of 6 weeks.

    Also known as: sham intradermal acupuncture

  • ProcedureAIA

    This study will select 4 acupoints (all taken bilaterally) commonly used to treat MDD, namely Taichong (LR3), Neiguan (PC6), Sanyinjiao (SP6) and Shenmen (HT7). Depending on acupoints' location, a φ0.20\*1.5mm or φ0.20\*1.2mm AIA will be selected. Press the AIA to insert it vertically into the acupoint and retain it in the skin. AIA will be retained for 72 hours with a day's rest after removal. During the period of needle retention, participants will be instructed to press the AIA 3-4 times a day for approximately 1 minute each time, with as much stimulation as the patient can tolerate, at intervals of approximately 4 hours. A total of 10 sessions will be performed over a period of 6 weeks.

    Also known as: active intradermal acupuncture

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Changes in the Hamilton Depression Scale-17 (HAMD-17) Scores

    The HAMD scale is the most commonly used in the clinical assessment of depression, including 17 items. The higher the score, the more severe the depression. 0-7 means no depressive symptoms, 8-17 means mild depression, 18-24 was divided into moderate depression, and 25-52 was divided into severe depression.

    Time frame: Baseline, 3 weeks after treatment, 6 weeks after treatment, at 4-week follow-up.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Changes in the Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) Scores

    The standard score is the total of all scores multiplied by 1.25 to the nearest whole number on this scale, which has 20 questions. A standard score below 50 is normal; 50-60 is mild depression; 61-70 is moderate depression; 70 or more is severe depression.

    Time frame: Baseline, 3 weeks after treatment, 6 weeks after treatment, at 4-week follow-up

  2. Changes in the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) Scores

    The PSQI is used to assess the sleep quality of the participant in the last 1 month and consisted of 19 self-rated and 5 other rated items. The higher the score, the worse the sleep quality. Sleep quality is divided into 4 levels according to the total score.

    Time frame: Baseline, 3 weeks after treatment, 6 weeks after treatment, at 4-week follow-up

  3. Changes in the Treatment Emergent Symptom Scale (TESS) Scores

    The TESS is often used to assess the side effects of drugs. It contains 35 symptom items and 2 total assessment items, including behavioural toxicity, laboratory tests, autonomic nervous system, nervous and cardiovascular system, etc. Each of these symptoms is graded into 5 levels of severity (0-4), with the higher the score the more severe the side effects.

    Time frame: Baseline, 6 weeks after treatment

  4. Adverse Events

    Adverse events such as bleeding, haematoma, or unbearable pain caused by the needle, as well as drug-induced nausea, vomiting or dizziness, will all be recorded.

    Time frame: Up to 10 weeks

Other outcomes

  1. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data acquisition

    Brain MRI will be taken by the 3.0 T magnetic resonance scanner to analyse the functional connectivity of the patient's brain regions, particularly the hypothalamus, before and after the intervention.

    Time frame: Baseline, 6 weeks after treatment

  2. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS ) data acquisition

    MRS will be taken by the 3.0 T magnetic resonance scanner to detect the neurometabolic change in patients' brain regions, particularly the hypothalamus, before and after the intervention.

    Time frame: Baseline, 6 weeks after treatment

  3. Blood samples biobank establishment

    Blood samples will be collected to test the function of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, including the level of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and cortisol (Cor).

    Time frame: Baseline, 6 weeks after treatment

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
  • the Third affiliated hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical university
    Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
    Recruiting
08

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reachedSimilar studies: half by the dot; the band is the middle halfHalf of similar studies reached it by the dot; the band is the middle half, from a quarter to three quarters

Started Jan 2022 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Dec 2025, 47 months after the start.

Of 612 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Depressive Disorder, Major, half reached primary completion within 31 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 17 and three quarters within 53. This study's planned 47 months is above that.

Counting every sponsor, half of 652 studies reached it within 30 months; a quarter within 16 and three quarters within 53.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Aug 31, 2022
First posted
Nov 3, 2022
StartActual
Jan 1, 2022
Primary completionEst.
Dec 30, 2025
CompletionEst.
Dec 30, 2025
Last update
Nov 3, 2022
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Nov 3, 2022, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
09

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT05605002
Lead sponsor
Xiaomei Shao
Collaborators
Zhejiang Provincial Tongde Hospital, First People's Hospital of Hangzhou, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University
Responsible party
Xiaomei Shao (Professor, The Third Affiliated hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University) — Sponsor-investigator
First posted
Nov 3, 2022
Start date
Jan 1, 2022
Primary completion
Dec 30, 2025 (estimated)
Completion
Dec 30, 2025 (estimated)
Last update
Nov 3, 2022

Study contacts

Xiaomei Shao, Ph.D
Contact
shaoxiaomei@zcmu.edu.cn
+8618957130287
Xiaoting Wu
Contact
xiaotwu@163.com
+8618196671636
Xiaomei Shao, Ph.D
principal investigator · The Third Affiliated hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University

Oversight

FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

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

Follow this study

Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.

Sign in to follow

Discussion

Questions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.

Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.

Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.

Start the discussion