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Acupuncture with electric pulses may guard the brain's memory circuits

NCT ID NCT06758154

Disease control Sponsor: The Affiliated Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Aug 27, 2026 · Last updated Aug 28, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This trial tests whether electro-acupuncture, a treatment that uses fine needles with a mild electric current, can improve memory and thinking in people aged 55 to 79 who have subjective cognitive decline, a condition where people notice memory problems but standard tests still look normal. Participants will receive the acupuncture at specific points on the face and body, and researchers will use brain scans and cognitive tests to see if the treatment changes brain activity and slows decline. The goal is to find out if this approach can protect the brain and delay or prevent Alzheimer's disease.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
Electro-acupuncture at specific acupoints (Neiguan, Shenting, Yingxiang, Yintang) using disposable stainless-steel needles with electrical stimulation
What this could lead to
If it works, this could offer a non-drug way to slow or prevent the progression from subjective cognitive decline to Alzheimer's disease.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early-stage trial, so results may not apply to everyone. Acupuncture can cause mild side effects like bruising or soreness at needle sites.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 92 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Dec 2024

Expected to finish

Jun 2028

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

55 to 79 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Meet the diagnostic criteria for SCD diseases; 2. 55-79 years old; 3. ≥8 years of schooling; 4. Right-handed; 5. Sign the informed consent. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Have received other antidepressant therapy or involved in other clinical trials in the previous 2weeks. 2. Infarct located in the left DLPFC. 3. Positive psychiatric history and major trauma exposure history, such as depression, epilepsy, etc., in the past. 4. Other serious concomitant diseases (aphasia, severe edema, venous thrombosis, arteriosclerosis occlusion, diabetic vascular disease, peripheral neuropathy, spinal lesions, brain trauma, intracranial infection, brain tumors, etc.) or secondary diseases (heart, liver, renal failure, etc.). 5. Infection around acupoints and/or intolerance to acupuncture manipulation. 6. MRI or rTMS contraindications (claustrophobia, metal implants, cochlear implants, impulsator, etc.).

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

subjective cognitive decline

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Subjective cognitive decline (SCD)

How to take part

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  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

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Contacts and locations

Locations

  • The Affiliated Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School

    RECRUITING

    Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210008, China

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