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Can acupuncture boost brain function in Alzheimer's? new trial aims to find out

NCT ID NCT03810794

Symptom relief Sponsor: Jian Pei,MD Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study tests whether adding acupuncture to the standard Alzheimer's drug donepezil can improve memory, daily living skills, and quality of life. Researchers will compare two groups of 90 patients each: one gets acupuncture plus donepezil, the other gets donepezil alone. The trial involves 36 acupuncture sessions over 12 weeks and will measure changes in thinking tests and daily function.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
acupuncture
What this could lead to
If it works, this could point toward a safe, drug-free add-on therapy to help people with Alzheimer's maintain thinking skills and daily function longer.
What could go wrong
This is a mid-sized, early-stage trial with no blinding of patients, so results may be influenced by placebo effects. Acupuncture is generally safe but may cause minor bruising or discomfort.

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 180 people

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

Started

Mar 2019

Expected to finish

Dec 2026

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

50 to 85 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

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: * aged between 50-85 years * the diagnostic criteria of Neurological Communicative Disorders and Stroke and the Alzheimer Disease and Related Disorders Association (NINCDS-ADRDA) * cognitive impairment based on the scores of the Chinese version of the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) (patients with mild to moderate Alzheimers disease, 11≤primary school degree≤22, 11≤junior high school degree or above≤26 * magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) confirmation of atrophy of the hippocampus or the medial temporal lobe volume, MRI manifestation of high possibility of Alzheimer Disease * the Medial Temporal Lobe Atrophy Rating Scale (MTA-scale) score (≥2 for those under 75 years, and ≥3 for those over 75 years) * voluntarily joining this study with informed consents Exclusion Criteria: * cognitive impairment caused by other factors (e.g. vascular dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies, frontotemporal dementia, hormone or metabolic abnormalities, hypothyroidism, folic acid or vitamin B12 deficiency, delirium or other mental and emotional disorders (such as schizophrenia and depression)) * a serious heart condition, hepatic disease, renal system disease, hematopoietic system disease, or whole-body malnutrition * aphasia, disturbance of consciousness, or failure to cooperate with the related examinations due to physical disability * anticoagulant treatments such as warfarin or heparin * use of pacemakers or receiving acupuncture in the past 2 weeks

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Alzheimer disease Cognitive Dysfunction

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Alzheimer disease Cognitive impairment

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    3 sites. 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

    A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Huashan Hospital Fudan University

    RECRUITING

    Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality, 200040, China

  • LongHua Hospital Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine

    RECRUITING

    Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality, 200032, China

  • Shanghai Mental Center, Shanghai Jiaotong University of Medicial School

    RECRUITING

    Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality, 200032, China

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