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Acupuncture's pain relief tied to brain synchrony between patient and practitioner

NCT ID NCT02908022

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
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 This study
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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 looks at how the brains of fibromyalgia patients and their acupuncturists work together during electroacupuncture treatment. Using special MRI scans that record both people at once, researchers hope to see if matching brain activity leads to better pain relief. The goal is to understand the social and psychological aspects of acupuncture, not to test a new drug or cure.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
electroacupuncture
What this could lead to
If successful, this could help explain how the patient-clinician interaction enhances acupuncture's pain-relieving effects.
What could go wrong
This is an observational study focused on brain mechanisms, not a treatment trial. Results may not lead to new therapies or apply to all patients.

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.

Start date

Sep 2016

Finished

May 2024

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

21 to 65 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.

Phase 1: Inclusion Criteria (Healthy Clinicians): * Male and Female healthy clinicians * 25-60 years of age * Ability to read and understand English; English can be a second language provided that the participant feels that he/she understand all the questions used in the assessment measures. Inclusion Criteria (Fibromyalgia Patients): * Have a clinical diagnosis of fibromyalgia and meet the Wolfe et al 2011 research criteria for fibromyalgia for at least one year * Are on stable doses of medication for 30 days prior to entering the study and agree not to change medications or dosages during the trial * 21 to 60 years of age * Right-handed * Ability to read and understand English; English can be a second language provided that the participant feels that he/she understand all the questions used in the assessment measures Exclusion Criteria (All participants): * Any longer period of work experience involving pain treatment, pain rehabilitation etc. This is in order to exclude participants with biased expectations regarding different methods of analgesia * Presence of any illness or medication use that is judged to interfere with the trial. For example: psychiatric disorder according to the DSM-IV manual, medication that can influence cognition or emotional processing, i.e. sleep medication, antidepressants, anti-convulsants or opioids * Presence of any contraindications to fMRI scanning. For example: cardiac pacemaker, metal implants, fear of closed spaces, pregnancy * Inability to respond accurately to the pain-relieving intervention in the behavioral part of the experiment, indicating a lack of response to the expectancy manipulation. If the healthy volunteer or clinician is not a responder to the behavioral expectancy induction he or she will be excluded * Unwillingness to receive brief experimental pain * Leg pain or health issues that may interfere with the study procedures Exclusion Criteria (Specific to Fibromyalgia Patients): * Comorbid acute pain condition * Comorbid chronic pain condition that is rated by the subject as more painful than fibromyalgia * Current use of opioid analgesics or stimulant medications or the fatigue associated with sleep apnea or shift work (e.g., modafinil) * Documented peripheral neuropathy * Any psychiatric disorder involving a history of psychosis (e. g schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, severe personality disorders) * History of anxiety disorders or significant anxiety symptoms interfering with fMRI procedures (e.g., panic) * Psychiatric hospitalization in the past 6 months * Any impairment, activity or situation that in the judgment of the Study Coordinator or Principal Investigator would prevent satisfactory completion of the study protocol. * Is an actual clinical patient of the clinician subject Phase 2: Inclusion Criteria (healthy individuals): 1. Male and female healthy clinicians. 2. 25-65 years of age (clinicians) 3. Ability to read and understand English; English can be a second language provided that the participant feels that he/she understand all the questions used in the assessment measures. Inclusion Criteria (FM patients): 1. Have a clinical diagnosis of fibromyalgia and meet the Wolfe et al 2011 research criteria for fibromyalgia for at least one year 2. Are on stable doses of medication for 30 days prior to entering the study and agree not to change medications or dosages during the trial 3. 21-65 years of age 4. Ability to read and understand English; English can be a second language provided that the participant feels that he/she understand all the questions used in the assessment measures. Exclusion Criteria (all participants): 1. Any longer period of work experience involving pain treatment, pain rehabilitation etc. This is in order to exclude participants with biased expectations regarding different methods of analgesia. 2. Presence of any illness that is judged to interfere with the trial. For example: psychiatric disorder according to the DSM-IV manual 3. Presence of any contraindications to fMRI scanning. For example: cardiac pacemaker, metal implants, fear of closed spaces, pregnancy. 4. Inability to respond accurately to the pain-relieving intervention in the behavioral part of the experiment, indicating a lack of response to the expectancy manipulation. If the healthy volunteer or clinician is not a responder to the behavioral expectancy in-duction he or she will be excluded. 5. Unwillingness to receive brief experimental pain. 6. Leg pain or health issues that may interfere with the study procedures. Exclusion Criteria (specific to FM patients): 1. Comorbid acute pain condition 2. Comorbid chronic pain condition that is rated by the subject as more painful than fibromyalgia 3. Documented peripheral neuropathy 4. Any psychiatric disorder involving a history of psychosis (e. g schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, severe personality disorders) 5. History of anxiety disorders or significant anxiety symptoms interfering with fMRI procedures (e.g., panic) 6. Psychiatric hospitalization in the past 6 months 7. Marijuana use greater than once daily and unwillingness to withhold from consumption 12 hours prior to scans or lab visits 8. Unwillingness to withhold from consuming nicotine 4 hours prior to scans 9. Any impairment, activity or situation that in the judgment of the Study Coordinator or Principal Investigator would prevent satisfactory completion of the study protocol. 10. Is an actual clinical patient of the clinician subject

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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

  • Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging

    Charlestown, Massachusetts, 02129, United States

  • Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital

    Charlestown, Massachusetts, 02129, United States

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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.