Ear needles may help wake brain injury patients
NCT ID NCT07273864
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tested whether adding ear acupuncture (auricular thumbtack needle therapy) to standard care and nerve stimulation could help people with traumatic brain injury regain consciousness. Sixty patients with a Glasgow Coma Scale score of 4-8 were randomly assigned to receive either standard care plus nerve stimulation alone or the same plus ear acupuncture. The researchers measured awakening rates, coma recovery scores, and family satisfaction over 8 weeks.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.
Active substance
auricular thumbtack needle therapy (ear acupuncture)
What this could lead to
If effective, this could offer a simple, low-cost add-on therapy to help brain-injury patients regain consciousness faster.
What could go wrong
This is a small, single-center trial with only 60 participants. The results may not apply to all brain injury patients, and the effect may be modest or due to chance.
Disclaimer
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the original study
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Summaries may miss details or leave out important information. Before applying or accepting participation, make sure you have read and understood the full study. Curemydisease.com takes no responsibility whatsoever for anything missed, misunderstood, or acted upon as a result of our summary — we know it does not capture everything.
This is a summary of the original study . Summaries may miss details or leave out important information. Before applying or accepting participation, make sure you have read and understood the full study. Curemydisease.com takes no responsibility whatsoever for anything missed, misunderstood, or acted upon as a result of our summary — we know it does not capture everything.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
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Locations
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The First Affiliated Hospital of Gannan Medical University
Jiangxi, Ganzhou, 341000, China