fMRI Evaluation of Auricular Acupuncture Targets: An Exploratory Clinical Study

Jiangsu Taizhou People's Hospital40 enrolled

Overview

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.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Masking

QUADRUPLE

Enrollment

Conditions

Healthy Participants

Interventions

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.

Sham Auricular Acupuncture as a Control Intervention for Brain fMRI Studies in Healthy VolunteersDEVICE

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.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 YearsMax age: 30 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Age 18-30 years; 2. Basically normal diet and sleep; 3. No history of mental illness; 4. No MRI contraindications (e.g., metal implants or pacemakers) or claustrophobia； 5. Willing to participate in this study and sign the informed consent form. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Presence of auricular skin lesions or allergy to adhesive ear patches; 2. Currently receiving regular acupuncture treatment; 3. History of bleeding disorders or anticoagulant use (increased bleeding risk); 4. Previous history of syncope during acupuncture.

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Functional connectivity strength between the insula and the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC)(T1-T0)

Data collection is divided into two stages: Baseline : Collection of demographic data, baseline fMRI scan, and clinical assessment(T0). post-intervention : fMRI scan and clinical assessment immediately after the intervention(T1). The functional connectivity between the bilateral insula and medial prefrontal cortex was quantified by calculating the Pearson correlation of their mean time series at baseline and post-intervention. This connectivity strength serves as a proxy for the efficiency of information exchange between the interoceptive hub and the self-referential/emotion-regulatory hub. An increase following auricular acupuncture may reflect enhanced psychosomatic integration and top-down emotional regulation, suggesting a functional optimization of this circuit. Conversely, a decrease could indicate a disruption of pathological hyper-connectivity related to emotional constraint or an upregulation of control-mechanisms consistent with the observed alleviation of emotional symptoms