Efficacy and neural mechanism of acupuncture treatment in older adults with subjective cognitive decline: study protocol for a randomised controlled clinical trial

Abstract

IntroductionSubjective cognitive decline (SCD) refers to individuals’ perceived decline in memory and/or other cognitive abilities relative to their previous level of performance, while objective neuropsychological deficits are not observed. SCD may represent a preclinical phase of Alzheimer’s disease. At this very early stage of decline, intervention could slow the rate of incipient decline to prolong and preserve cognitive and functional abilities. However, there is no effective treatment recommended for individuals with SCD. Acupuncture, as a non-pharmacological intervention, has been widely employed for patients with cognitive disorders.Methods and analysisThe proposed study is a randomised, assessor-blinded and placebo-controlled study that investigates the efficacy and mechanism of acupuncture in SCD. Sixty patients with SCD will be randomly allocated either into an acupuncture group or a sham acupuncture group. They will receive 24 sessions of real acupuncture treatment or identical treatment sessions using a placebo needle. Global cognitive changes based on a multidomain neuropsychological test battery will be evaluated to detect the clinical efficacy of acupuncture treatment at baseline and end of treatment. MRI scans will be used to explore acupuncture-related neuroplasticity changes. Correlation analyses will be performed to investigate the relationships between the changes in brain function and symptom improvement.Ethics and disseminationThe trial was approved by the research ethics committee. The results of the study will be published in a peer-reviewed academic journal and will also be disseminated electronically through conference presentations.Trial registration number NCT03444896.

Effect of acupuncture on gut microbiota in participants with subjective cognitive decline

“…Midpoint between Tianyou (SJ16) and Tianrong (SI17) Sham acupoint 4 4 cun above the umbilicus and 1 cun right of the umbilical midline Sham acupoint 5 2 cun below the umbilicus and 1 cun right of the umbilical midline Sham acupoint 6 1 cun outside the point 1/4 of the line between Shenmen (HT7) and Shaohai (HT3) Sham acupoint 7 1 cun outside the midpoint of Shenmen (HT7) and Shaohai (HT3) Sham acupoint 8 6 cun above mediosuperior border of the patella Sham acupoint 9 3 cun below the Yanglingquan (GB34) and in the middle of the gallbladder and bladder channels Sham acupoint 10…”

“…Acupuncture, as a nondrug intervention, has been widely used in patients with cognitive impairment [7,8] . Many clinical studies have provided evidence that acupuncture is beneficial for treatment of dementia or MCI [9–11] .…”

“…[4][5][6] Acupuncture, as a nondrug intervention, has been widely used in patients with cognitive impairment. [7,8] Many clinical studies have provided evidence that acupuncture is beneficial for treatment of dementia or MCI. [9][10][11] Animal studies have also shown that acupuncture has dual regulatory functions on the p38 MAPK pathway, and can regulate cytokines, ion channels, scar proteins and transcription factors (including TRPV1/4, Nav, BDNF, NADMR1, Bcl-2, NF-kB, Bax, glutamate receptors, and transporters, etc), produce antiapoptosis and antiinflammatory effects, regulate cell communication, remodeling, regeneration, and gene expression, reduce the deposition of Ab in the brain and improve learning and memory of MCI patients' ability.…”

Evaluating the Long-Term Efficacy of Acupuncture Therapy for Subacute Poststroke Aphasia: Study Protocol for a Randomized, Blinded, Controlled, Multicentre Trial

“…Electrophysiological methods, such as intracranially recorded EEG or ERP, are particularly promising to offer a mechanistic understanding of language formation processes. Compared with the language scales alone, the combination of in vivo measures of brain alterations in this study will be more sensitive in detecting acupuncture efficacy [ 50 ].…”

Effect of acupuncture on gut microbiota in participants with subjective cognitive decline: Retraction

“…The article, “Effect of acupuncture on gut microbiota in participants with subjective cognitive decline”, [1] which appears in Volume 101, Issue 18 of Medicine , is being retracted due to improper authorship, the use of data without appropriate consent, and omitting the citation of Yan, Zhou, Wang, et al [2] in the following relevant sections: inclusion and exclusion criteria, intervention methods, clinical outcome indicators, and Figure 1. The authors agreed to retract this article.…”