Acupuncture in the Modulation of Peripheral Oxidative Stress Insomnia

April 28, 2021 updated by: YEUNG Wing Fai, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Determining the Role of Acupuncture in the Modulation of Peripheral Oxidative Stress in Patients With Insomnia: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial

A randomized controlled trial involving 140 subjects with (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition) DSM-5 insomnia disorder after excluding those with other medical conditions, psychiatric disorders, and sleep disorders that may cause insomnia. The subjects will be randomly assigned to either acupuncture treatment or sham acupuncture (control group) in a 1:1 ratio. The acupuncture treatment group will receive acupuncture treatments using a semi-standardized protocol. In a similar way, the sham acupuncture control group will receive acupuncture using validated non-invasive sham acupuncture needles. Both subjective (the sleep questionnaire and sleep diary) and objective (actigraphy) outcome measures will be recorded at baseline and at 1- and 5-week post-treatment. Fasting blood samples will be taken on the morning of the assessments at these time points to measure the oxidative stress parameters, including the malondialdehyde (MDA) level, and the glutathione peroxidase (GPx), paraoxonase (PON), and arylesterase (ARE) activities. The primary outcome is sleep efficiency, measured using a 7-day sleep diary and the oxidative stress parameters at 1-week post-treatment.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Background: Insomnia is a very common complaint worldwide. Acupuncture is an alternative treatment for improving sleep quality. However, its efficacy and mechanism of action as a treatment for insomnia requires further investigation. Acupuncture may attenuate oxidative stress which is thought to be an important pathophysiological factor in insomnia.

Aims: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of a semi-individualized acupuncture treatment in improving sleep, and to examine its effects on oxidative stress parameters in subjects with primary insomnia disorder.

Methods: This will be a randomized controlled trial involving 140 subjects with DSM-5 insomnia disorder after excluding those with other medical conditions, psychiatric disorders, and sleep disorders that may cause insomnia. The subjects will be randomly assigned to either acupuncture treatment or sham acupuncture (control group) in a 1:1 ratio. The acupuncture treatment group will receive acupuncture treatments using a semi-standardized protocol. In a similar way, the sham acupuncture control group will receive acupuncture using validated non-invasive sham acupuncture needles. Both subjective (the sleep questionnaire and sleep diary) and objective (actigraphy) outcome measures will be recorded at baseline and at 1- and 5-week post-treatment. Fasting blood samples will be taken on the morning of the assessments at these time points to measure the oxidative stress parameters, including the malondialdehyde (MDA) level, and the glutathione peroxidase (GPx), paraoxonase (PON), and arylesterase (ARE) activities. The primary outcome is sleep efficiency, measured using a 7-day sleep diary and the oxidative stress parameters at 1-week post-treatment.

Data analysis: Changes in the sleep and oxidative stress outcome measures will be compared between groups by using a mixed-effects model at each time point. Correlations between sleep parameters and oxidative stress parameters will be examined using a Pearson correlation. Mediation analysis will be performed to explore the possible mediating effect of oxidative stress factors on sleep.

Significance: The relationship between oxidative stress and insomnia severity has been under-researched. To the best of our knowledge, there has thus far been no study on the effect of acupuncture on oxidative stress in subjects with insomnia disorder. The present study will not only provide high-quality evidence of the efficacy of acupuncture as a treatment for insomnia, but also of the associated changes in oxidative stress parameters. It will guide future studies on the treatment mechanism and pathophysiology of insomnia.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
140

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Hong Kong
      • Hong Kong, Hong Kong
        • School of Nursing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 65 years (ADULT, OLDER_ADULT)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Hong Kong resident,
  • ethnic Hong Kong Chinese aged 18-65,
  • fulfilling diagnostic criteria of insomnia disorder using DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for Insomnia Disorder by Brief Insomnia Questionnaire,
  • Insomnia Severity Index total score ≥11 at screening and baseline visits,
  • willing to give informed consent and comply with the trial pr1otocol.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • any current or past major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorders or panic disorder, manic or hypomanic episode, substance use disorders, organic mental disorder, schizophrenia or any other psychotic disorder as defined by DSM-IV criteria using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID);
  • any current physical illnesses that contributes significantly to the subject's insomnia;
  • pregnancy;
  • a previous diagnosis of sleep apnea or periodic limb movement disorder (if subjects with symptoms suggestive of other sleep disorders, they will be referred to our psychiatrists for further assessment;
  • a Home Single-Channel Nasal Pressure (HNP) screening with apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) >5;
  • at significant risk of suicide according to SCID;
  • infection or abscess close to the site of the selected acupoints;
  • valvular heart defects, bleeding disorders or taking anticoagulant drugs, use of any implanted electrical device such as pacemaker, defibrillator, brain and nerve stimulators, etc.;
  • receiving acupuncture treatment in the past 6 months;
  • taking herbal remedies, over-the-counter medication or psychotropic drugs that target insomnia within the two weeks prior to baseline

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: TREATMENT
  • Allocation: RANDOMIZED
  • Interventional Model: PARALLEL
  • Masking: DOUBLE

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
EXPERIMENTAL: Electroacupuncture
Subjects will receive 4 weeks of acupuncture following with a semi-standardized protocol.
Other: Electroacupuncture
Each subject will be treated with predefined acupoints including bilateral Ear-Shenmen, Touwei (ST8), Sishencong (EX-HN1), and unilateral Yintang (EXHN3) and Baihui (GV20) on the head (total 8 needles). Subject's current symptoms will be ascertained using a Traditional Chinese Medicine symptom checklist and eight additional acupoints will therefore be selected and needled based on their clinical judgements. The acupuncture treatment will consistent of two sessions per week (30 minutes) for 4 consecutive weeks.
PLACEBO_COMPARATOR: Sham acupuncture group
Subjects will receive sham acupuncture with the same sterilization procedure as traditional acupuncture group.
Other: Sham acupuncture
Subjects will be treated at 1 cm posteriorly and laterally adjacent to the same acupoints as the traditional acupuncture group using validated non-invasive sham needles. Subjects will also be assessed with Traditional Chinese Medicine checklist. The acupuncturist, setting, treatment frequency, and duration of the treatment course will be the same as in the traditional acupuncture group.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Sleep efficiency (SE)
Time Frame: Week 5
the sleep efficiency derived from 7 days sleep diary
Week 5

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Sleep efficiency (SE)
Time Frame: Baseline, week 9
the sleep efficiency derived from 7 days sleep diary
Baseline, week 9
Sleep onset latency (SOL)
Time Frame: Baseline, week 5, week 9
the sleep onset latency derived from 7 days sleep diary
Baseline, week 5, week 9
Wake after sleep onset (WASO)
Time Frame: Baseline, week 5, week 9
the Wake after sleep onset derived from 7 days sleep diary
Baseline, week 5, week 9
Total sleep time (TST)
Time Frame: Baseline, week 5, week 9
the total sleep time derived from 7 days sleep diary
Baseline, week 5, week 9
Insomnia Severity Index (ISI)
Time Frame: Baseline, week 5, week 9
the self reported severity of insomnia symptoms
Baseline, week 5, week 9
Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HADS)
Time Frame: Baseline, week 5, week 9
the self reported anxiety and depression symptoms
Baseline, week 5, week 9
Short Form Six Dimension (SF6D)
Time Frame: Baseline, week 5, week 9
the six dimension measure of health-related quality of life
Baseline, week 5, week 9
Actigraphy: Sleep onset latency (SOL)
Time Frame: Baseline, week 5, week 9
The objective measure of sleep onset latency (SOL)
Baseline, week 5, week 9
Actigraphy: Wake after sleep onset (WASO)
Time Frame: Baseline, week 5, week 9
The objective measure of wake after sleep onset (WASO)
Baseline, week 5, week 9
Actigraphy: Total sleep time (TST)
Time Frame: Baseline, week 5, week 9
The objective measure of total sleep time (TST)
Baseline, week 5, week 9
Actigraphy: Sleep efficiency (SE)
Time Frame: Baseline, week 5, week 9
The objective measure of sleep efficiency (SE)
Baseline, week 5, week 9
The level of MDA
Time Frame: Baseline, week 5
The measure of oxidative stress parameters
Baseline, week 5
The activity of GPx
Time Frame: Baseline, week 5
The measure of oxidative stress parameters
Baseline, week 5
The activity of PON
Time Frame: Baseline, week 5
The measure of oxidative stress parameters
Baseline, week 5
The activity of ARE
Time Frame: Baseline, week 5
The measure of oxidative stress parameters
Baseline, week 5

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (ACTUAL)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
March 15, 2018

Primary Completion (ACTUAL)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
September 20, 2019

Study Completion (ACTUAL)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
September 20, 2019

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
January 17, 2018

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
February 21, 2018

First Posted (ACTUAL)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
February 27, 2018

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (ACTUAL)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
April 29, 2021

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 28, 2021

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
April 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • AcupOS

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Clinical Trials on Insomnia Chronic

Clinical Trials on Electroacupuncture

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Cookie Settings

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. For more details carefully read our Privacy and Cookies Policy. ...>>>You can change your preferences or withdraw your consent at any time by deleting the cookies from your website or computer as described in the policy. Please accept it and choose your preferences by ticking the corresponding boxes in the "Manage Settings" section below. Please carefully read our Terms of Service before you proceed with using any part of this website.
«Manage Settings