Evaluating Acupuncture Points With Scanning Kelvin Probe

March 2, 2012 updated by: Andrew A. Ahn, Massachusetts General Hospital

Scanning Kelvin Probe Measurements of Acupuncture Point

The purpose of this study is to characterize the surface electrical potential of acupuncture points with a Scanning Kelvin Probe.

Study Overview

Status

Suspended

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Acupuncture points are anatomical structures described by traditional Chinese medicine. To this day, however, their scientific and Western anatomical characterizations remain unclear. Past studies have suggested that acupuncture points are distinct electrically (increased electrical conductivity). To evaluate this claim, this study uses a Scanning Kelvin Probe to study the electrical potential of three acupuncture points and their respective adjacent controls in 24 healthy individuals. The Scanning Kelvin Probe is a novel device that measures the electrical potential of skin without actually touching the skin surface.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Anticipated)

24

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

  • United States
    • Massachusetts
      • Charlestown, Massachusetts, United States, 02129
        • Massachusetts General Hospital - Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging

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

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 65 years (ADULT, OLDER_ADULT)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Sampling Method

Probability Sample

Study Population

Healthy volunteers

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Individuals without chronic medical condition requiring daily medications (hypertension, diabetes, hypothyroidism, etc).

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Individuals with autonomic disorders (sweating irregularities), skin disorders, extensive burns/scars on the hand, tremors, neuromuscular conditions, restless leg syndrome, movement disorders, and implanted cardiac defibrillator/pacemaker

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

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Intervention / Treatment
Healthy Volunteers
Other: not applicable in this study
No actual interventions will be administered for this study.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Electrical Potential at Acupuncture points
Time Frame: One day
Scanning Kelvin Probe measurements of electrical potentials at 3 predetermined acupuncture points.
One day

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Massachusetts General Hospital

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

August 1, 2011

Primary Completion (Anticipated)

August 1, 2012

Study Completion (Anticipated)

August 1, 2012

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

March 2, 2012

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 2, 2012

First Posted (Estimate)

March 7, 2012

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

March 7, 2012

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 2, 2012

Last Verified

March 1, 2012

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 5R21AT005249-03 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

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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