Acupuncture for patients with mild cognitive impairment: a randomized, patient–assessor-blinded, sham-controlled pilot study
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-blinde...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
BMC
2025-07-01
|
| Series: | BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-025-05023-5 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849238098823610368 |
|---|---|
| author | Yujin Choi Pyung-Wha Kim In-Chul Jung Ae-Ran Kim Hyo-Ju Park Ojin Kwon Jun-Hwan Lee Joo-Hee Kim |
| author_facet | Yujin Choi Pyung-Wha Kim In-Chul Jung Ae-Ran Kim Hyo-Ju Park Ojin Kwon Jun-Hwan Lee Joo-Hee Kim |
| author_sort | Yujin Choi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | 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). |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-85719fb3a92147938869471275883bbb |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2662-7671 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies |
| spelling | doaj-art-85719fb3a92147938869471275883bbb2025-08-20T04:01:46ZengBMCBMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies2662-76712025-07-0125111310.1186/s12906-025-05023-5Acupuncture for patients with mild cognitive impairment: a randomized, patient–assessor-blinded, sham-controlled pilot studyYujin Choi0Pyung-Wha Kim1In-Chul Jung2Ae-Ran Kim3Hyo-Ju Park4Ojin Kwon5Jun-Hwan Lee6Joo-Hee Kim7KM Science Research Division, Korea Institute of Oriental MedicineKM Science Research Division, Korea Institute of Oriental MedicineDepartment of Neuropsychiatry, College of Korean Medicine, Daejeon UniversityR&D Strategy Division, Korea Institute of Oriental MedicineR&D Strategy Division, Korea Institute of Oriental MedicineKM Science Research Division, Korea Institute of Oriental MedicineKM Science Research Division, Korea Institute of Oriental MedicineDepartment of Acupuncture and Moxibustion Medicine, College of Korean Medicine, Sangji UniversityAbstract 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).https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-025-05023-5Acupuncture therapyAlzheimer’s diseaseCognitive dysfunctionDementiaRandomized controlled trial |
| spellingShingle | Yujin Choi Pyung-Wha Kim In-Chul Jung Ae-Ran Kim Hyo-Ju Park Ojin Kwon Jun-Hwan Lee Joo-Hee Kim Acupuncture for patients with mild cognitive impairment: a randomized, patient–assessor-blinded, sham-controlled pilot study BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies Acupuncture therapy Alzheimer’s disease Cognitive dysfunction Dementia Randomized controlled trial |
| title | Acupuncture for patients with mild cognitive impairment: a randomized, patient–assessor-blinded, sham-controlled pilot study |
| title_full | Acupuncture for patients with mild cognitive impairment: a randomized, patient–assessor-blinded, sham-controlled pilot study |
| title_fullStr | Acupuncture for patients with mild cognitive impairment: a randomized, patient–assessor-blinded, sham-controlled pilot study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Acupuncture for patients with mild cognitive impairment: a randomized, patient–assessor-blinded, sham-controlled pilot study |
| title_short | Acupuncture for patients with mild cognitive impairment: a randomized, patient–assessor-blinded, sham-controlled pilot study |
| title_sort | acupuncture for patients with mild cognitive impairment a randomized patient assessor blinded sham controlled pilot study |
| topic | Acupuncture therapy Alzheimer’s disease Cognitive dysfunction Dementia Randomized controlled trial |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-025-05023-5 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT yujinchoi acupunctureforpatientswithmildcognitiveimpairmentarandomizedpatientassessorblindedshamcontrolledpilotstudy AT pyungwhakim acupunctureforpatientswithmildcognitiveimpairmentarandomizedpatientassessorblindedshamcontrolledpilotstudy AT inchuljung acupunctureforpatientswithmildcognitiveimpairmentarandomizedpatientassessorblindedshamcontrolledpilotstudy AT aerankim acupunctureforpatientswithmildcognitiveimpairmentarandomizedpatientassessorblindedshamcontrolledpilotstudy AT hyojupark acupunctureforpatientswithmildcognitiveimpairmentarandomizedpatientassessorblindedshamcontrolledpilotstudy AT ojinkwon acupunctureforpatientswithmildcognitiveimpairmentarandomizedpatientassessorblindedshamcontrolledpilotstudy AT junhwanlee acupunctureforpatientswithmildcognitiveimpairmentarandomizedpatientassessorblindedshamcontrolledpilotstudy AT jooheekim acupunctureforpatientswithmildcognitiveimpairmentarandomizedpatientassessorblindedshamcontrolledpilotstudy |