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NCT Number: NCT06417086

Clinical Evaluation of Acupuncture Treatment on Alzheimer's Disease in APOE e4 Carriers and Non-Carriers

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if acupuncture works to treat mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease, as well as the difference of its effect in APOE e4 carriers and non-carriers. It will also learn about the safety of acupuncture.

Researchers will compare acupuncture to a placebo (sham acupuncture) to see if acupuncture works to relieve the cognitive impairment and improve the ability of daily living and the quality of life. In addition, the plasma and neuroimaging biomarkers will be included as objective indexes.

Participants will:

Experience acupuncture or sham acupuncture 3 times per week for 12 weeks, and receive a 52-week follow-up.

Visit the clinic at Week 12, Week 38 and Week 64 for checkups and tests.

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Key information

Conditions

Alzheimer Disease Brain Diseases Central Nervous System Diseases Cognition Disorders Cognitive Dysfunction Cognitive Impairment Dementia Mental Disorders Nervous System Diseases Neurocognitive Disorders Neurodegenerative Diseases Tauopathies

Age range

50 year–80 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Longhua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Shanghai, 200032, China

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Yijun Zhan

CONTACT

[email protected]

+8618917699167

About this study

This is a two-centre randomized controlled trial. A total of 176 participants with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease, 88 APOE e4 carriers and 88 non-carriers, will be randomly assigned to either an acupuncture combined with donepezil group or a sham acupuncture combined with donepezil group with a ratio of 1:1. The main acupoints are DU 24, EX-HN 3, DU 20, EX-HN 1, GB 12, HT 7, KI 6, GB39. There will be 12 weeks of 3-session treatment for each participant, and a 52-week follow-up in total. The primary outcome is the change and effective rate from baseline in the ADAS-cog score measured at Week 12.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Aged between 50-85 years
  • Diagnosed by the 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
  • Contraindications to undergoing an MRI scan such as claustrophobia or pacemaker implantation.
  • Anticoagulant treatments such as warfarin or heparin
  • Use of pacemakers or receiving acupuncture in the past 2 weeks

Treatment and study plan

Acupuncture

Other

The main acupoints are DU 24, EX-HN 3, DU 20, EX-HN 1, GB 12, HT 7, KI 6, GB39, and then selecting other acupoints according to TCM syndrome. There will be 12 weeks of 3-session treatment for each participant in total.

Sham Acupuncture

Other

The Streitberger placebo needle will be used to simulate an acupuncture procedure without penetrating the skin. The main acupoints are DU 24, EX-HN 3, DU 20, EX-HN 1, GB 12, HT 7, KI 6, GB39, and then selecting other acupoints according to TCM syndrome. There will be 12 weeks of 3-session treatment for each participant in total.

Donepezil

Drug

Donepezil 5 mg will be given once daily before bed-time for 12 weeks.

Primary outcomes

  1. Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-cognition (ADAS-cog)

    Time frame: Change from baseline to Week 12

    The maximum score of the ADAS-cog is 70 including 12 items. The questions in this scale contain word recall task, naming objects and fingers, following commands, constructional praxis, ideational praxis, orientation, word recognition task, remembering test directions, spoken language, word-finding difficulty, comprehension and attention. In general, a normal score for someone who does not have AD or another type of dementia is 5. The higher scores indicate higher degree of cognitive dysfunction.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-cognition (ADAS-cog)

    Time frame: Change from baseline to Week 38 (Follow-up 1) and Week 64 (Follow-up 2)

    The maximum score of the ADAS-cog is 70 including 12 items. The questions in this scale contain word recall task, naming objects and fingers, following commands, constructional praxis, ideational praxis, orientation, word recognition task, remembering test directions, spoken language, word-finding difficulty, comprehension and attention. In general, a normal score for someone who does not have AD or another type of dementia is 5. The higher scores indicate higher degree of cognitive dysfunction.

  2. Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study-Activity of Daily Living (ADCS-ADL)

    Time frame: Change from baseline to Week 12, Week 38 (Follow-up 1) and Week 64 (Follow-up 2)

    The maximum of the ADCS-ADL score is 54 containing 19 domains about assessment of basic and operational ability of daily living. The higher scores indicate higher ability of daily living.

  3. Quality of Life-Alzheimer's Disease(QOL-AD)

    Time frame: Change from baseline to Week 12, Week 38 (Follow-up 1) and Week 64 (Follow-up 2)

    The QOL-AD score includes 13 items about physical health, mental health, social and financial assessment, and quality of life. The total score ranges from 13 to 52. The higher scores indicate higher quality of life.

Other outcomes

  1. Phosphorylated tau at threonine 181 (p-tau181)

    Time frame: Change from baseline to Week 12 and Week 64 (Follow-up 2)

    Plasma p-tau181measured by Single Molecule Array (Simoa) as the plasma biomarker.

  2. Cerebral Blood Flow (CBF)

    Time frame: Change from baseline to Week 12 and Week 64 (Follow-up 2)

    CBF acquired by arterial spin labeling (ASL) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique measures the blood flow condition of the whole brain.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Yijun Zhan

CONTACT

[email protected]

+8618917699167

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

ZhanYJ

Other

Collaborators

  • Shanghai Minimally Invasive Surgery Center

Registry information

Official study title

Clinical Evaluation of Acupuncture Treatment on Alzheimer's Disease in APOE e4 Carriers and Non-Carriers: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Important dates

Study start
2024
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
May 16, 2024
Registry last updated
May 21, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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