Acupuncture Modulates Motor-Network Functional Connectivity in Parkinson Disease: A Randomized Sham-Controlled fMRI Trial
Acupuncture Modulates Motor-Network Functional Connectivity in Parkinson Disease: A Randomized Sham-Controlled fMRI Trial
Where did the research take place?
The study site has not been established. Author addresses may differ from where the research occurred.
Publication status: preprint
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Original abstract
Abstract Whether acupuncture produces specific neural effects in Parkinson’s disease (PD) remains unclear. In this randomized sham-controlled trial, 78 PD patients received verum (VA) or sham (SA) acupuncture for 8 sessions over 4 weeks (8-week follow-up). The primary outcome was UPDRS-III change at week 4; secondary outcomes included NMSS and PDQ-39. Resting-state fMRI assessed seed-to-whole-brain functional connectivity (FC). VA showed greater UPDRS-III improvement than SA at week 4 (between-group difference − 6.4, 95% CI − 9.9 to − 2.9; p < 0.001) and week 8 (–9.5, p < 0.001). NMSS and PDQ-39 also favored VA. In fMRI, VA induced 6 focused FC decreases (striatal-thalamic seeds), while SA showed 80 diffuse cerebellar-centered changes. Direct comparison revealed 10 peaks differentiating groups, with SA showing larger changes but lacking specificity. FC changes in differentiating pathways correlated with clinical improvements. These findings suggest acupuncture’s therapeutic effect depends on targeted network stabilization rather than magnitude of brain change.