Can zapping three acupoints rewire the brain to ease surgical pain?

NCT ID NCT07819630

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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.
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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 Results may not be published yet.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)

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Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
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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

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Status unknown
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First seen Sep 15, 2026 · Last updated Sep 16, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

Researchers at Beijing Chao Yang Hospital are testing whether transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) changes brain connectivity and reduces pain after abdominal surgery. Ninety adults scheduled for abdominal surgery under general anesthesia will be randomly assigned to receive TEAS at the Neiguan, Hegu, and Zusanli acupoints before surgery or to a control group. The team will record EEG brain activity throughout the procedure and measure pain scores at 1 hour and 24 hours after surgery.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS), a device-based form of electroacupuncture
What this could lead to
If it works, this could support a non-drug option for easing pain after abdominal surgery and help explain how acupoint stimulation affects the brain.
What could go wrong
This is a small, single-center study of 90 people, so any brain or pain differences may be chance or may not apply to other patients or surgeries. TEAS is generally considered low risk, but it can cause mild skin irritation or discomfort at the electrode sites.

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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 90 people

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

Expected to start

Oct 2026

An estimate. Start dates often move.

Expected to finish

Mar 2027

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

18 to 80 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. Age between 18 and 80 years; 2. ASA physical status classification I-II; 3. Scheduled to undergo abdominal surgery under general anesthesia (e.g., gastrectomy, colorectal cancer surgery, etc.); 4. Consent to participate in the study and signing of the informed consent form. \- Exclusion Criteria:1. Impaired cognitive function or language communication disorders; 2. Mental disorders, epilepsy, or abnormal EEG activity; 3. Receipt of acupoint therapy within two weeks prior to surgery; 4. Presence of a cardiac pacemaker or metal implants; 5. Allergy to surface electrodes; 6. Concomitant medical conditions (e.g., dermatological disorders) that may affect treatment or trial administration. \-

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Pain, Postoperative

As listed by the trial registrant

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

How to take part

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Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Affiliated Beijing Chaoyang Hospital of Capital Medical University, Beijing 100020

    RECRUITING

    Beijing, China

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