STUDY PROTOCOL article
Front. Neurol.
Sec. Applied Neuroimaging
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fneur.2025.1536291
This article is part of the Research TopicAdvancing Early Alzheimer's Detection Through Multimodal Neuroimaging TechniquesView all 13 articles
Effect of Acupuncture on Episodic Memory for Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment Based on Hippocampal Subregion: Study Protocol of a Randomized, Controlled Trial
Provisionally accepted
- Shenzhen Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Shenzhen ，Guangdong, China
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The hippocampus is a key brain region for episodic memory, and impairment of episodic memory is the earliest feature of amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). Preserving the structure and function of the hippocampus plays a key role in preventing progression to Alzheimer's disease (AD). Therefore, early intervention is crucial, and acupuncture could significantly improve episodic memory in aMCI, but the mechanism is not clear. Accordingly, this experiment aims to explore the mechanism of acupuncture to improve episodic memory in aMCI based on the hippocampal subregion.Methods: A randomized, controlled, blinded research will be performed. 150 aMCI participants will be assigned to the verum acupuncture group, sham acupuncture group, and waiting group; 50 healthy controls will also be recruited. Patients in the acupuncture group will receive real acupuncture treatment or placebo acupuncture three times per week, 36 sessions over 12 consecutive weeks in total. Patients in the waiting group will receive the same verum acupuncture treatment for compensation after the trials are finished. The primary outcome will be the auditory-verbal learning test. Secondary outcomes will include Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD), and functional magnetic resonance imaging data. Outcomes will be measured at baseline and twelve weeks after randomization. Repeated measurement analysis of variance will be used to explore the intervention effect.Discussion: This protocol will provide theoretical support for the neural mechanisms by which acupuncture improves episodic memory in aMCI. We hope that this study will provide objective evidence and offer alternative treatment options for the early treatment of aMCI.
Keywords: amnestic mild cognitive impairment, Acupuncture, episodic memory, hippocampal subregions, randomized controlled trial, protocol
Received: 28 Nov 2024; Accepted: 09 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhang, Li, Lu, Ou, Lyu and Liu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Jinhuan Zhang, Shenzhen Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Shenzhen ，Guangdong, China
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