Needles and pressure points: a new hope for dementia?
NCT ID NCT04305951
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study looked at whether combining acupuncture and acupressure can improve thinking, independence, mood, sleep, and pain in elderly people with mild to moderate dementia. About 236 people aged 65 and older from nursing homes took part. They received either routine care, acupuncture, acupressure, or both treatments for 12 weeks. The goal was to see if these therapies could ease symptoms and improve quality of life.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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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
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236 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Oct 2021
- Finished
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Feb 2025
- Lead sponsor
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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
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65 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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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 Hide 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: * have a clinical diagnosis of any type of dementia or met the criteria of major and mild neurocognitive disorder based on the Fifth Edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), and * have mild to moderate dementia at a stage of 3-5 on the Global Deterioration Scale (GDS). Exclusion Criteria: * have of dementia with the stage below 3 or above 5 on the GDS; * have severe skin lesions on acupuncture and acupressure areas; * have significant bleeding tendency; * have heart pacemaker or implantable cardioverter defibrillator; * are currently receiving acupressure as a regular therapy; * had a surgery on the head or neck; * are currently receiving anti-coagulant treatment.
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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
Locations
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The University of Hong Kong
Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 000000, Hong Kong
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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