Acupuncture for patients with mild cognitive impairment: a randomized, patient-assessor-blinded, sham-controlled pilot study.

IF 3.3 2区医学 Q1 INTEGRATIVE & COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE

BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies Pub Date : 2025-07-19 DOI:10.1186/s12906-025-05023-5

Yujin Choi, Pyung-Wha Kim, In-Chul Jung, Ae-Ran Kim, Hyo-Ju Park, Ojin Kwon, Jun-Hwan Lee, Joo-Hee Kim

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Abstract

Background: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is the transitional stage between normal aging and early dementia. Although acupuncture is a promising non-pharmacological treatment, higher-quality evidence is needed to confirm its effectiveness.

Methods: A randomized, patient- and assessor-blinded, sham-controlled, pilot clinical trial was conducted to evaluate the feasibility of acupuncture for treating MCI. In total, 30 participants were randomized into acupuncture and sham acupuncture groups. The participants underwent 24 treatment sessions over 12 weeks. The primary outcome was a change in the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale (ADAS-cog) score over 12 weeks, whereas the secondary outcomes included the Seoul Neuropsychological Screening Battery (SNSB-II) score. Adverse events and the success of blinding were also assessed.

Results: Of the 30 participants, 28 completed the study. Participants in the acupuncture and sham acupuncture groups exhibited a decrease in ADAS-cog scores from 10.27 ± 4.03 and 11.47 ± 3.85 at baseline to 5.78 ± 3.04 and 6.27 ± 2.83 at week 12, respectively. Both groups exhibited clinically meaningful improvements, with no significant difference between groups (P = 0.6590). The SNSB-II memory domain exhibited a moderate effect size favoring acupuncture (Cohen's d = 0.57, P = 0.1317). No intervention-related adverse events were reported, and participant blinding was adequate throughout the trial.

Conclusions: The 12-week acupuncture treatment is feasible for patients with MCI and may improve memory. Although the primary outcomes did not reach statistical significance, the secondary outcomes suggested potential benefits. Larger confirmatory trials are warranted to investigate the effectiveness of acupuncture in patients with MCI.

Trial registration: Clinical Research Information Service (cris.nih.go.kr) KCT0001938 (Registered on June 3, 2016).

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针灸治疗轻度认知障碍患者：一项随机、患者评估者盲法、假对照的初步研究。

背景：轻度认知障碍（Mild cognitive impairment， MCI）是正常衰老与早期痴呆之间的过渡阶段。虽然针灸是一种很有前途的非药物治疗，但需要更高质量的证据来证实其有效性。方法：采用随机、患者和评估者双盲、假对照的临床试验，评价针刺治疗轻度认知损伤的可行性。共有30名参与者被随机分为针灸组和假针灸组。参与者在12周内接受了24次治疗。主要结局是阿尔茨海默病评估量表-认知亚量表（ADAS-cog）评分在12周内的变化，而次要结局包括首尔神经心理筛查组（SNSB-II）评分。不良事件和盲法的成功也被评估。结果：在30名参与者中，28人完成了研究。针刺组和假针组的ADAS-cog评分分别从基线时的10.27±4.03和11.47±3.85降至第12周时的5.78±3.04和6.27±2.83。两组均有临床意义的改善，两组间无显著差异（P = 0.6590）。SNSB-II记忆域表现出有利于针灸的中等效应大小（Cohen’s d = 0.57, P = 0.1317）。没有干预相关的不良事件报告，并且在整个试验中参与者的盲法是足够的。结论：12周针刺治疗轻度认知损伤是可行的，可改善记忆。虽然主要结局没有达到统计学意义，但次要结局提示潜在的益处。需要更大规模的验证性试验来研究针灸对轻度认知损伤患者的有效性。试验注册：临床研究信息服务（cris.nih.go.kr） KCT0001938（2016年6月3日注册）。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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