Transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a randomized clinical trial

Abstract

Little is known about the effects of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Here, we carried out a 4 week randomized clinical trial in which patients aged 6–12 years old with an ADHD diagnosis received TEAS or sham TEAS. The primary outcome measure was the investigator-rated Clinical Global Impression-Improvement (CGI-I) score at week 4. Secondary outcomes included changes from baseline to week 4 in the investigator-rated Clinical Global Impression-Severity of Illness (CGI-S) score, the Conners’ Parent/Teacher Rating Scales-Revised: Short Form (CPRS-R: S/CTRS-R: S) score, go/no-go task performance, and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS)-based oxygenated hemoglobin level within the prefrontal cortex. At week 4, the CGI-I score indicated improvement in 33.3% of the TEAS group compared with 7.7% of the sham group (P = 0.005). The TEAS group had a greater decrease in the mean CGI-S score (−0.87) than the sham TEAS group (−0.28) (P = 0.003). A greater enhancement in the mean cerebral oxygenated hemoglobin within the prefrontal cortex was found in the TEAS group (0.099 mM mm) compared with the sham TEAS group (0.005 mM mm) (P < 0.001). CPRS-R: S score, CTRS-R: S score, and go/no-go performance exhibited no significant improvement after TEAS treatment. The manipulation-associated adverse events were uncommon in both groups, and events were very mild. Our results show that noninvasive TEAS significantly improved general symptoms and increased prefrontal cortex blood flow within 4 weeks for children with ADHD. Further clinical trials are required to understand the long-term efficacy in a larger clinical sample. This trial was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT 03917953).

Applications of functional near-infrared spectroscopy in non-drug therapy of traditional Chinese medicine: a review

“…These findings demonstrate that acupuncture can enhance blood oxygen activity in the visual cortex and increase HbO 2 content in areas V1 and V2 ( Chai, 2020 ; Wu, 2022 ). Researchers have used fNIRS to examine brain responses in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorders treated with percutaneous acupoint electrical stimulation ( Zhuo et al, 2022 ). The HbO 2 concentration was measured using a go/no-go task before and after treatment.…”

A bibliometric analysis of acupuncture for neurodevelopmental disorders: A Call for increased output and future research priorities

“…Analyses of the recent, included articles revealed that most explored the efficacy and safety of acupuncture as a complementary and alternative therapy for improving general symptoms of patients with NDDs. For example, Zhuo [ 25 ] described acupoint stimulations increased prefrontal cortex blood flow in children with ADHD, with mild adverse events. Hai et al showed therapeutic effects of acupuncture for TD, especially vocal tic, in children [ 26 ].…”

Effect of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation on pregnancy outcomes in women with in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer: A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Previous studies have found that mTEAS may improve pregnancy outcomes somewhat, but this finding may be due to the placebo effect of routine procedures; it may also indicate that a weak current or electrodes without electricity are not completely inert ( Zhuo et al, 2022 ). An adequate literature search was conducted for this review, but RCTs were few, and the sample size was insufficient.…”