Acupuncture for Migraine: a Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) Study

Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Status: Completed

Conditions: Migraine

Treatments: Other: manual acupuncture

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01152632

30930112/C190301

Details and patient eligibility

About

Selecting acupoints along meridians is the predominant principle in acupuncture treatment, and it is also considered to ensure acupuncture efficacy. This experiment is to investigate whether specific brain networks gradually come in formation in accordance with this kind of acupoint selection methods.

Full description

Every participants in the four intervention groups will go through functional magnetic imaging (fMRI) scan four times: the 1st scan will be performed at their baselines; the 2nd scan will be done after 2 courses (10 times) acupuncture treatment; the 3rd scan will be performed when the 4 courses end; the 4th scan will be operated after three-month enrollment.

Volunteers in waiting list group will undergo the above scans at the same time points in exception of acupuncture treatment.

Enrollment: 100 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 17 to 45 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• clinical diagnosis of non-aura Migraine formulated by the international headache society in 2004

Exclusion criteria

• people with other types of headache
• people with organic cerebral disorders
• people with primary disorders
• people in moderate or severe anxiety or depression
• people in pregnancy

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Double Blind

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100 participants in 5 patient groups, including a placebo group

specific points of Bladder meridian and Shanjiao meridian

Experimental group

Description:

In traditional Chinese acupuncture theory, Bladder meridian and Shanjiao meridian have been considered as the main pathological meridian location of migraine. Meanwhile, specific points on both meridians have been used widely in its treatment for a long time.

Treatment:

Other: manual acupuncture

non-specific points of Bladder meridian and Shanjiao meridian

Experimental group

Description:

Non-specific points of Shaoyang meridians are also used in cure of migraine. It is conventionally thought to be less effective using non-specific points than specific ones.

Treatment:

Other: manual acupuncture

specific points of Stomach meridian

Active Comparator group

Description:

Specific points of Stomache meridian for migraine were searched in Chinese ancient data. And this group is set to compare with specific points of Shaoyang meridians for their possible different brain networks.

Treatment:

Other: manual acupuncture

non-acupoints

Placebo Comparator group

Description:

Three non-acupoints were chosen,two of which were located on the arm and one one the leg.

Treatment:

Other: manual acupuncture

waiting list

No Intervention group