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

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Migraine
• Interventions: Other: manual acupuncture

• Registration Number: NCT01152632
• Lead Sponsor: Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Brief Summary

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.

Detailed 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.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2010-01
• Study First Submitted: 2010-06-27
• Study First Submitted QC: 2010-06-28
• Study First Posted: 2010-06-29
• Status Verified: 2012-08
• Primary Completion: 2013-06
• Study Completion: 2013-12
• Last Update Submitted: 2014-11-25
• Last Update Posted: 2014-12-02

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 100

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

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
specific points of Bladder meridian and Shanjiao meridian	manual acupuncture	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.
non-specific points of Bladder meridian and Shanjiao meridian	manual acupuncture	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.
specific points of Stomach meridian	manual acupuncture	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.
non-acupoints	manual acupuncture	Three non-acupoints were chosen,two of which were located on the arm and one one the leg.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
improvement of headache frequency	4 weeks

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine; 🇨🇳 Chengdu, Sichuan, China