Laser Acupuncture for Chronic Migraine: Clinical Response, Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndrome Patterns, and Brain Function (PRISM-CM)

November 6, 2026 updated by: Huan-Yun Wu, Taichung Veterans General Hospital

Clinical Response, Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndrome Patterns, and Brain Functional Characteristics Associated With Laser Acupuncture in Chronic Migraine

The PRISM-CM study will test whether 810-nanometer laser acupuncture reduces migraine days and related symptoms in adults with chronic migraine. Laser acupuncture uses low-level laser light at acupuncture points without inserting needles. The study will also assess safety and explore whether clinical features, traditional Chinese medicine syndrome patterns, and brain function are associated with differences in treatment response.

This study will enroll 135 participants at Taichung Veterans General Hospital: 90 patients with chronic migraine and 45 healthy volunteers. After keeping a headache diary for 4 weeks before treatment, patients will be assigned by chance to active laser acupuncture or sham laser acupuncture, with 45 patients in each group. Sham treatment uses the same acupuncture points and procedures but does not deliver therapeutic laser energy. Healthy volunteers will not be randomized and will receive active laser acupuncture as a comparison group. All three groups will receive 8 sessions over 4 weeks.

Patients with chronic migraine, outcome assessors, and staff analyzing brain images and study data will not be told which treatment was assigned. The practitioners providing treatment will know the assignment.

All participants will complete questionnaires and standardized traditional Chinese medicine assessments before treatment and monthly through 12 months after treatment begins. The traditional Chinese medicine assessments use symptom questions, tongue images, and pulse examinations to identify patterns of signs and symptoms, called syndrome patterns. Patients with chronic migraine will also continue recording headache diaries. The main outcome is the change in the number of migraine days per month from before treatment to week 12. Other outcomes include headache severity and duration, days using medicines to treat headache attacks, headache-related limitations, anxiety and depressive symptoms, sleep, sensitivity to light and sound, quality of life, and adverse events.

All three groups will undergo brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) before treatment and at week 12 after treatment begins. An additional MRI at week 4 is optional and depends on participant willingness and study resources. The scans will examine brain structure, connections between brain regions, and brain activity at rest and during laser stimulation of acupuncture points.

Researchers will compare active and sham treatment in patients with chronic migraine. Healthy volunteers will provide a reference for brain imaging and questionnaire findings but will not be included in the main analysis of migraine treatment effects. Exploratory analyses will examine whether clinical features and traditional Chinese medicine syndrome patterns before treatment are associated with greater or smaller treatment benefits. The study will also compare patients with marked improvement and those with little or no improvement, and examine how brain changes relate to clinical response and traditional Chinese medicine syndrome patterns.

Study Overview

Status

Status

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

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.

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 (Estimated)

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.
300

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 Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • Taiwan
      • Taichung, Taiwan
        • Not yet recruiting
        • Taichung Veterans General Hospital Copy
        • Contact:
    • 台中市
      • Taichung, 台中市, Taiwan, 407
        • Recruiting
        • Taichung Veterans General Hospital
        • Contact:

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

20 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

General Criteria:

Adults aged 20 years or older.

Able to understand the study procedures and provide written informed consent.

Willing to participate in the scheduled treatments, clinical assessments, and follow-up visits.

Patients with Chronic Migraine:

Diagnosis of chronic migraine according to the International Classification of Headache Disorders, 3rd edition (ICHD-3), confirmed by a neurologist.

Unsatisfactory response to current pharmacological treatment or a need for adjunctive nonpharmacological treatment.

Able to complete a 4-week baseline headache diary before randomization.

Healthy Volunteers:

No current or previous history of migraine, other recurrent primary headache disorders, or chronic pain conditions.

Willing to receive the standardized 810-nm laser acupuncture treatment and undergo scheduled clinical and neuroimaging assessments.

Exclusion Criteria:

General Criteria:

Inability to provide informed consent or comply with study procedures and follow-up assessments.

Significant cognitive impairment or other conditions that may compromise participant safety or study compliance.

Patients with Chronic Migraine:

Active psychotic symptoms or unstable major psychiatric disorders.

Other conditions that may significantly interfere with informed consent, study adherence, or MRI safety.

Healthy Volunteers:

Major or active neurological or psychiatric disorders that may substantially affect central nervous system function or MRI findings.

Regular use of psychiatric medications.

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: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • 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: Chronic Migraine: Active Laser Acupuncture
Device: 810 nm laser acupuncture

Participants will receive noninvasive laser acupuncture using an 810-nm near-infrared laser with an output power of 150 mW. Laser irradiation will be applied to 13 standardized acupoints: bilateral Fengchi (GB20), Shuaigu (GB8), Taiyang (EX-HN5), Zanzhu (BL2), Hegu (LI4), Taichong (LR3), and unilateral Yintang (EX-HN3). Each acupoint will be irradiated for 30 seconds, delivering 4.5 J of energy per point. Treatment will be administered twice weekly for four consecutive weeks, for a total of eight sessions. The same standardized treatment protocol will be used for participants with chronic migraine assigned to the active laser acupuncture group and healthy volunteers receiving active laser acupuncture.
Sham Comparator: Chronic Migraine: Sham Laser Acupuncture
Device: Sham Laser Acupuncture

Participants assigned to the sham laser acupuncture group will undergo a procedure identical to active laser acupuncture, using the same laser device, standardized acupoints, treatment duration, and operating procedures, but without emission of therapeutic laser energy. The sham procedure will target the same 13 acupoints: bilateral Fengchi (GB20), Shuaigu (GB8), Taiyang (EX-HN5), Zanzhu (BL2), Hegu (LI4), Taichong (LR3), and unilateral Yintang (EX-HN3). Each acupoint will be treated for 30 seconds. Sham treatment will be administered twice weekly for four consecutive weeks, for a total of eight sessions. The procedure is designed to maintain participant blinding and serve as a placebo control for active laser acupuncture.
Experimental: Healthy Volunteers: Active Laser Acupuncture
Device: 810 nm laser acupuncture

Participants will receive noninvasive laser acupuncture using an 810-nm near-infrared laser with an output power of 150 mW. Laser irradiation will be applied to 13 standardized acupoints: bilateral Fengchi (GB20), Shuaigu (GB8), Taiyang (EX-HN5), Zanzhu (BL2), Hegu (LI4), Taichong (LR3), and unilateral Yintang (EX-HN3). Each acupoint will be irradiated for 30 seconds, delivering 4.5 J of energy per point. Treatment will be administered twice weekly for four consecutive weeks, for a total of eight sessions. The same standardized treatment protocol will be used for participants with chronic migraine assigned to the active laser acupuncture group and healthy volunteers receiving active laser acupuncture.

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
Change From Baseline in Monthly Migraine Days (MMD) at Week 12
Time Frame: Baseline and Week 12 after treatment initiation

Monthly migraine days (MMD) will be calculated from daily headache diaries over a 28-day period. Change from baseline will be calculated as MMD at Week 12 minus baseline MMD. Negative values indicate a reduction in migraine frequency. The unit of measurement is days per 28 days.
Baseline and Week 12 after treatment initiation

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
Change in Monthly Headache Days (MHD) From Baseline to Week 12
Time Frame: Baseline and monthly through Month 12

Monthly headache days (MHD) will be calculated from daily headache diaries as the number of days with headache during a 28-day period. Change from baseline will be calculated as the Week 12 value minus the baseline value. Negative values indicate fewer headache days. The unit of measurement is days per 28 days.
Baseline and monthly through Month 12
Change in Acute Medication Days (AMD) From Baseline to Week 12
Time Frame: Baseline and monthly through Month 12

Acute medication days (AMD) will be defined as the number of days on which participants use acute medication for headache or migraine during a 28-day period, as recorded in daily headache diaries. Change from baseline will be calculated as the Week 12 value minus the baseline value. Negative values indicate reduced acute medication use. The unit of measurement is days per 28 days.
Baseline and monthly through Month 12
Change in Headache Pain Intensity From Baseline to Week 12
Time Frame: Baseline and monthly through Month 12

Headache pain intensity will be assessed using an 11-point Numerical Rating Scale (NRS), ranging from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst imaginable pain). Higher scores indicate greater headache intensity. Change from baseline will be calculated as the Week 12 score minus the baseline score. Negative values indicate improvement.
Baseline and monthly through Month 12
Change in Headache Duration From Baseline to Week 12
Time Frame: Baseline and monthly through Month 12

Headache duration will be recorded in daily headache diaries and expressed as the average duration of headache episodes in hours. Change from baseline will be calculated as the Week 12 value minus the baseline value. Negative values indicate shorter headache duration.
Baseline and monthly through Month 12
Change in Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS) From Baseline to Week 12
Time Frame: Baseline and monthly through Month 12

Migraine-related disability will be assessed using the Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS). The total score is calculated by summing the number of days of missed or reduced activities across five items during the preceding three months. Higher scores indicate greater migraine-related disability.
Baseline and monthly through Month 12
Change in Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) From Baseline to Week 12
Time Frame: Baseline and monthly through Month 12

Emotional distress will be assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The scale comprises 14 items divided into anxiety and depression subscales, each ranging from 0 to 21. The total score ranges from 0 to 42, with higher scores indicating greater emotional distress.
Baseline and monthly through Month 12
Change in Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) From Baseline to Week 12
Time Frame: Baseline and monthly through Month 12

Depressive symptoms will be assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). The total score ranges from 0 to 63, with higher scores indicating greater severity of depressive symptoms.
Baseline and monthly through Month 12
Change in Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) Total Score From Baseline to Week 12
Time Frame: Baseline and monthly through Month 12

Sleep quality will be assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The global score is calculated by summing seven component scores, each ranging from 0 to 3. The total score ranges from 0 to 21, with higher scores indicating poorer sleep quality. Change from baseline will be calculated as the Week 12 score minus the baseline score. Negative values indicate improvement.
Baseline and monthly through Month 12
Percentage of Participants With at Least a 50% Reduction in Monthly Migraine Days at Week 12
Time Frame: Baseline and monthly through Month 12

A migraine responder will be defined as a participant achieving at least a 50% reduction in monthly migraine days (MMD) at Week 12 compared with baseline. The outcome will be reported as the percentage of participants meeting this criterion in each treatment group. Higher percentages indicate a greater proportion of treatment responders.
Baseline and monthly through Month 12
Change in Regional Brain Volume Assessed by Structural MRI
Time Frame: Baseline, Month 3, and Month 6

Structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) will be used to assess longitudinal changes in regional brain volume following laser acupuncture treatment. Brain volume will be measured in cubic millimeters (mm³). Changes will be evaluated from baseline to Months 3 and 6. Higher or lower values do not necessarily indicate better or worse clinical outcomes.
Baseline, Month 3, and Month 6
Change in Resting-State Functional Connectivity Assessed by fMRI
Time Frame: Baseline, Month 3, and Month 6

Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) will be used to assess longitudinal changes in brain functional connectivity following laser acupuncture treatment. Functional connectivity will be quantified using Fisher's z-transformed correlation coefficients. Changes will be evaluated from baseline to Months 3 and 6. Higher or lower values indicate differences in functional connectivity and do not necessarily represent better or worse clinical outcomes.
Baseline, Month 3, and Month 6
Change in Brain Activation During Laser Acupuncture Assessed by fMRI
Time Frame: Baseline, Month 3, and Month 6

Task-based functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) will be used to evaluate brain activation responses during laser acupuncture stimulation. Brain activation will be quantified using blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signal changes, expressed as percentage signal change relative to a reference condition. Longitudinal changes will be evaluated from baseline to Months 3 and 6. Higher or lower values do not necessarily indicate better or worse clinical outcomes.
Baseline, Month 3, and Month 6
Change in White Matter Integrity Assessed by Diffusion Tensor Imaging
Time Frame: Baseline, Month 3, and Month 6

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) will be used to assess longitudinal changes in white matter microstructure following laser acupuncture treatment. White matter integrity will be evaluated using fractional anisotropy (FA), a unitless measure ranging from 0 to 1. Changes will be evaluated from baseline to Months 3 and 6. Higher FA values reflect greater directional organization of water diffusion and do not necessarily indicate better clinical outcomes.
Baseline, Month 3, and Month 6

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.
Taichung Veterans General Hospital

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 (Estimated)

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.
November 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

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.
December 31, 2030

Study Completion (Estimated)

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.
December 31, 2032

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).
October 11, 2026

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.
October 16, 2026

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.
October 23, 2026

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.
November 12, 2026

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.
November 6, 2026

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.
October 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

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.
  • CF26593A

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

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.

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