- No significant improvement in global cognition (MoCA) at 12 weeks in intention-to-treat analysis.
- Acupuncture significantly improved functional independence (Chinese Modified Barthel Index; mean difference 4.12, P=0.015; effect size 0.29).
- Adverse events were mild; two unrelated deaths occurred; subgroup analyses suggest cognitive treatment effects may vary by dementia severity, requiring further study.
Age Ageing. 2026 Aug 3;55(10):afag298. doi: 10.1093/ageing/afag298.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Dementia harms the mental health of older adults and poses a significant caregiver burden. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture in managing cognitive decline and related symptoms in older adults with dementia.
METHODS: Eligible participants were recruited from 19 local residential care homes for older people in Hong Kong, China, from 5 October 2021 to 27 August 2024, in an assessor-blinded, randomised controlled trial. 118 participants were randomised to acupuncture and care-as-usual control (n=59 in each group) for 12 weeks. The analyses were on the intention-to-treat population. The primary outcome was the mean baseline-to-endpoint change of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score. Secondary outcomes included the functional independence, pain, depressive and sleep symptoms.
RESULTS: 85.6% (101/118) of participants completed the study. The primary outcome, MoCA, was not significantly improved in week 12. Subgroup analyses showed that the treatment effect on MoCA appeared to differ across dementia severity strata. Acupuncture was superior over control in improving functional independence (the Chinese version of the Modified Barthel Index, mean difference=4.12, 95% confidence interval=0.81, 7.44, P=0.015; standardised effect size=0.29). All treatment-related adverse events were mild, and 2 nontreatment-related death cases were reported.
CONCLUSIONS: While no significant effect in cognitive function was observed, acupuncture was associated with an improvement in functional independence, and the treatment effect on cognition might differ across dementia severity strata. This warrants further validation of the exploratory results, identifying a subpopulation of older adults with dementia who could gain more benefits from acupuncture in improving cognitive function.
TRIAL REGISTRATION: www.ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04305951, date of registration: 10/03/2020.
PMID:42870555 | DOI:10.1093/ageing/afag298
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