Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39762502›Full record

Trial reportChinese journal of integrative medicine2025

Effects of Acupuncture on Cognitive Functions in Patients with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Faezeh Khodaie, Roghayyeh Saeedi, Ghazaleh Soleimany, Mohammad Ali Sahraian, Amir Hooman Kazemi, Abdorreza Naser Moghadasi, Bai-Xiao Zhao

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Chinese journal of integrative medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Faezeh KhodaieSchool of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 100029, China.
Roghayyeh SaeediMultiple Sclerosis Research Center, Neuroscience Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, 1136746911, Iran.
Ghazaleh SoleimanyIranian Association of Sports Medicine, Tehran, 1411734141, Iran.
Mohammad Ali SahraianMultiple Sclerosis Research Center, Neuroscience Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, 1136746911, Iran.
Amir Hooman KazemiSchool of Persian Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, 1136746911, Iran.
Abdorreza Naser MoghadasiMultiple Sclerosis Research Center, Neuroscience Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, 1136746911, Iran. abdorrezamoghadasi@gmail.com.
Bai-Xiao ZhaoDepartment of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 100007, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo explore the effects of acupuncture in comparison with sham acupuncture on cognitive functions in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS).

methodsIn this randomized controlled trial, 31 RRMS patients in the acupuncture group were treated with traditional Chinese acupuncture based on the treatment principle of calming the mind, reinforcing qi and blood, and 31 patients in the control group were treated with sham acupuncture (shallow needling at non-acupuncture points) twice a week for 12 weeks. The primary outcome was the Brief International Cognitive Assessment for Multiple Sclerosis (BICAMS) score, which was evaluated by a psychologist at baseline and after 12 weeks of treatment. The secondary outcomes were the Symptom Checklist 90-Revised (SCL-90-R), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) scores. The participants were provided with contact information from the researchers with constant access to report any adverse symptoms.

resultsIn total, 62 participants were enrolled and allocated to the acupuncture group (31 cases) or control group (31 cases). After 12 weeks of acupuncture treatment, BICAMS including Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT), California Verbal Learning Test-2 (CVLT-2) and delayed CVLT-2 scores were significantly improved in comparison with the control group (P<0.01). However, the changes in the Brief Visuospatial Memory Test-Revised (BVMT-R) and delayed BVMT-R scores related to visual/spatial memory did not differ significantly between the two groups (both P>0.05). The FSS, PSQI, and SCL-90-R scores were significantly reduced after 12-week treatment in the acupuncture group compared to the control group (P<0.05 or P<0.01). No life-threatening adverse events occurred throughout the study.

conclusionsTwelve weeks of acupuncture treatment was effective in improving immediate and short-term auditory/verbal memory, attention and processing speed; reducing fatigue and decreasing sleep latency and the use of sleeping medications; alleviating depression, somatization, obsessive-compulsive and paranoid disorders in patients with RRMS. (Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials, No. IRCT20220101053582N1).

Indexed as

Acupuncture TherapyCognitionMultiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-RemittingAdultFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedTreatment Outcomeacupuncturecognitiondepressionfatiguemultiple sclerosisrandomized controlled trialsleep

Identifiers

PMID39762502

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.