Trial reportNeuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology2025
The efficacy and cerebral mechanism of intradermal acupuncture for major depressive disorder: a multicenter randomized controlled trial.
Trial report in Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06946888 (Effects of Acupressure on Nurses' Psychological Distress, Anxiety, Depression, Job Stress, Occupational Burnout, and Resilience), which is not on this map. Cited by 11 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Effects of Acupressure on Nurses' Psychological Distress, Anxiety, Depression, Job Stress, Occupational Burnout, and Resilience
Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Efficacy and influencing factors of acupuncture in major depressive disorder: a systematic review and exploratory network meta-analysis.CNS spectrums · 2026Pooled it
- Alterations in Gut Microbiota and Serum Metabolome Are Associated with Postpartum Depression.Nutrients · 2026Article
- Electroacupuncture Ameliorates Depressive-Like Behaviors by Enhancing Autophagy to Attenuate Hippocampal Neuroinflammation via the VEGF/AKT1/ERK Pathway in CUMS Rats.Neurochemical research · 2026Article
- Review
- Acupuncture on 5-hydroxytryptamine levels and clinical outcomes in depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.World journal of psychiatry · 2026Article
- Efficacy of intradermal acupuncture for ocular surface diseases secondary to refractory peripheral facial palsy: a randomized controlled trial study protocol.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Article
- Clinical efficacy and mechanism exploration of Moxibustion for diminished ovarian reserve: a randomized controlled trial protocol.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Cerebral blood flow and functional connectivity immediate changes following intradermal acupuncture in major depressive disorder.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2026Article
- Acupuncture's Multisystem Neuroimmunomodulation: Central-Peripheral Interactions in Gastroenteric, Psychiatric, and Chronic Pain Disorders.CNS neuroscience & therapeutics · 2025Review
- Acupuncture for Major Depressive Disorder: Exploring the Gut Microbiota as a Novel Therapeutic Pathway.Brain and behavior · 2025Article
- Pavlovian safety learning: An integrative theoretical review.Psychonomic bulletin & review · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
18 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
New combinations or alternative therapies for major depressive disorder (MDD) are necessary. Intradermal acupuncture (IA) shows promise but requires further investigation regarding its efficacy, safety, and mechanisms. Conducted across 3 centers from November 2022 to January 2024, our randomized controlled trial included 120 participants with moderate to severe MDD, divided into the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), SSRIs plus sham IA (SSRIs + SIA), and SSRIs plus active IA (SSRIs + AIA) groups. Acupuncture groups received 10 sessions over 6 weeks at Shenmen (HT7), Neiguan (PC6), Sanyinjiao (SP6) and Taichong (LR3) bilaterally, followed by a 4-week follow-up. The primary outcome was changes in Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-17 (HAMD-17) scores at week 6. Furthermore, healthy controls (HCs) and MDD patients underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans for functional connectivity (FC) analysis. After 6 weeks of treatment, the SSRIs + AIA group showed a greater reduction in HAMD-17 score than the SSRIs + SIA group (MD, -4.9 [CI, -7.6 to -2.2], P < 0.001) and SSRIs group (MD, -5.1 [CI, -7.8 to -2.3], P < 0.001). No serious adverse events occurred. SSRIs + AIA resulted in lower incidences of palpitations (vs.SSRIs + SIA: OR, 0.1% [CI, 0.0-1.0%]; vs. SSRIs: OR, 0.1% [CI, 0.0-0.7%]; P < 0.05), somnolence (vs.SSRIs + SIA: OR, 0.1% [CI, 0.0-0.9%]; vs.SSRIs: OR, 0.1% [CI, 0.0-0.7%]; P < 0.05), and nausea (vs.SSRIs + SIA: OR, 0.1% [CI, 0.0-1.0%]; vs. SSRIs: OR, 0.1% [CI, 0.0-0.9%]; P < 0.05). MDD patients showed abnormal FCs, and IA enhanced FCs between striatum and frontal_inf_tri, and striatum and cerebellum in the MRI study. Overall, IA as adjunctive therapy provides clinical efficacy and safety for MDD, and it may exert antidepressant effects by modulating striatal FCs.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.