NCT07332962

fMRI Evaluation of Auricular Acupuncture Targets: An Exploratory Clinical Study

An Exploratory Clinical Study on fMRI-Based Evaluation of Intervention Targets for Auricular Acupuncture Therapy

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 32 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Jiangsu Taizhou People's Hospital · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 30 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

This study employs resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) to examine whether auricular press needles acupuncture modulates functional connectivity between the insula and medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC), in a manner comparable to transcranial vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS), and to assess its association with interoceptive improvement. By establishing a neurophysiological baseline for auricular vagus nerve stimulation (aVNS) in the healthy brain, the research aims to clarify its regulatory mechanisms in cognition and emotion. The findings provide a key theoretical and evaluative framework for translating aVNS into clinical applications for insomnia and depression.

Conditions

• Healthy Participants

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DEVICE	Effect of Verum Auricular Acupuncture on Resting-State Brain Function in Healthy Subjects: A Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) Study	The auricular points Heart, Kidney, Shenmen, and Subcortex were selected. After a baseline fMRI scan, sterile press needles were applied aseptically to these points in the experimental group.Each point was stimulated with 20 manual presses per session. This procedure was repeated for three sessions, separated by 10-minute intervals, resulting in a total intervention time of approximately 26 minutes. To capture immediate neural effects, a post-intervention fMRI scan was conducted to observe changes in brain activity. The intervention involved applying auricular press needles (a type of intradermal embedding needle) to specific acupoints.
DEVICE	Sham Auricular Acupuncture as a Control Intervention for Brain fMRI Studies in Healthy Volunteers	The sham auricular acupuncture control group was identical to the experimental group in terms of acupoint locations, auricular acupuncture procedure, and fMRI scanning protocol. The sole exception was that the sham group received a needle-free, auricular press needles.

Timeline

• Start date: 2025-12-20
• Primary completion: 2026-01-15
• Completion: 2026-01-30
• First posted: 2026-01-12
• Last updated: 2026-01-12

Locations

1 site across 1 country: China