Exploring the mechanism of acupuncture improving cognitive functions for post-COVID-19 myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome: study protocol of a randomized controlled trial with multimodal MRI - Takeaways - MDSpire

Exploring the mechanism of acupuncture improving cognitive functions for post-COVID-19 myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome: study protocol of a randomized controlled trial with multimodal MRI

  • By

  • Luo, Tingting

  • Luo, Yang

  • Huang, Liang

  • Jin, Hongjiao

  • An, Yi

  • Huang, Jingwei

  • Luo, Kun

  • Guo, Yan

  • Wang, Dan

  • Liu, Dafeng

  • Wu, Xi

  • May 15, 2026

  • 0 min

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  • 1

    The study investigates acupuncture's efficacy in enhancing cognitive function in post-COVID-19 myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (PCME/CFS).

  • 2

    A randomized controlled trial will enroll 129 PCME/CFS patients and 30 healthy controls, comparing verum and sham acupuncture with a waitlist control group.

  • 3

    Participants will undergo three treatment sessions per week for eight weeks, with cognitive function assessed using various standardized tests.

  • 4

    Neural mechanisms will be explored using multimodal MRI techniques, including functional MRI and magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

  • 5

    The study aims to determine if acupuncture improves cognitive function by modulating hippocampal metabolism and resting-state functional connectivity.

Original Source(s)

Exploring the mechanism of acupuncture improving cognitive functions for post-COVID-19 myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome: study protocol of a randomized controlled trial with multimodal MRI

  • by Luo, Tingting , Luo, Yang , Huang, Liang , Jin, Hongjiao , An, Yi , Huang, Jingwei , Luo, Kun , Guo, Yan , Wang, Dan , Liu, Dafeng , Wu, Xi

  • May 15, 2026

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