Transcutaneous Electrical Acupoint Stimulation Combined With Exposure and Response Prevention in the Treatment of Patients With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a chronic and disabling mental disorder. Among them, 40-60% of obsessive-compulsive disorder patients do not respond to the current first-line drug treatment and/or psychological therapy. Traditional Chinese medicine treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder has unique advantages. Acupuncture, as a traditional Chinese treatment technique, has been increasingly applied in the treatment of mental disorders such as insomnia, anxiety, and depression. Transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) can replace acupuncture. With equivalent effects, it can reduce pain and fear and is a non-invasive, safe, and time-saving physical intervention method. TEAS combined with exposure and response prevention therapy may have an additive effect in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder. We will conduct a prospective randomized design to explore the integrated and optimized treatment plan of traditional Chinese and Western medicine for obsessive-compulsive disorder, improve the treatment efficiency, and reduce the proportion of chronic patients.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Exposure and Response Prevention; Device: Active Transcutaneous Acupoint Electrical Stimulation; Device: Sham Transcutaneous Acupoint Electrical Stimulation

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 90
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Jue Chen; Phone Number: +8618017311203; Email: chenjue2088@163.com

Study Locations

• China
  • Shanghai, China
    • Shanghai Mental Health
    • Contact: Jue Chen; Phone Number: +8618017311203; Email: chenjue2088@163.com

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Age: 18 - 50 years old, gender not restricted;
2. Meets the diagnostic criteria for obsessive-compulsive disorder as per the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5);
3. Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale score ≥ 16 points;
4. Has never taken medication or is currently taking medication with a stable dosage for 8 weeks or more;
5. Has a junior high school education or above;
6. Has signed the informed consent form.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Meets the diagnosis criteria in DSM-5 except for obsessive-compulsive disorder (excluding obsessive-compulsive personality disorder);
2. Has severe obsessive symptoms that prevent the patient from completing the required assessment tests;
3. Has a history of brain injury or surgery, or has an implanted cardiac pacemaker or other metal device in the body;
4. Pregnant or planning to become pregnant women, breastfeeding women;
5. Substance abusers within the past year;
6. Have severe negative thoughts or a high risk of suicide;
7. Other conditions deemed unsuitable for inclusion by the researchers.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: ERP+TEAS treatment group; ERP+TEAS treatment group has 45 OCD patients.Each patient receives 16 sessions of ERP for 50 minutes. TEAS procedure is truly exciting and is carried out simultaneously with ERP. The targeted stimulation points are the bilateral Neiguan acupoints.	Behavioral: Exposure and Response Prevention; The first one is to establish the therapeutic relationship, mainly aimed at discussing the changes that the upcoming treatment can bring to the patient, helping the patient understand that their obsessive-compulsive symptoms are mainly due to their dysfunctional evaluation system and helping them understand the reasons for the gradual increase in their obsessive behaviors. Normalization of anxiety and the analysis of the pros and cons of anxiety lay the groundwork for the next exposure therapy. The therapist also needs to help the patient understand and accept the next TEAS synchronous ERP treatment. In the last treatment, the therapist should summarize the treatment process with the patient. In addition, the therapist needs to understand the patient's feedback on the treatment, consolidate the achieved treatment effects, and jointly discuss the prevention of recurrence with the patient.; Device: Active Transcutaneous Acupoint Electrical Stimulation; The acupoints stimulated are bilateral Neiguan points. The stimulation positioning is based on the "National Standard of the People's Republic of China · Acupoint Names and Locations" [GB/T 12346-2021] (2021). The stimulation frequency is 50Hz, and the pulse width can change with the frequency. The pulse amplitude (0-100 mA) is titrated to a "strong but comfortable" sensation level. The ERP treatment lasts for 8 weeks, twice a week, for a total of 16 sessions, all of which are TEAS synchronized with ERP treatment. Each treatment lasts for 50 minutes, with the first 20 minutes being the therapist's theoretical explanation, and the last 30 minutes being exposure practice. The TEAS stimulation starts simultaneously with the patient's exposure practice, and the stimulation duration is also 30 minutes.
Sham Comparator: ERP+sham-stimulation group; ERP+sham-stimulation group has 45 patients.Each patient receives 16 sessions of ERP for 50 minutes. TEAS intervention uses sham coils and is carried out simultaneously with ERP. The targeted stimulation points are the bilateral Neiguan acupoints.	Behavioral: Exposure and Response Prevention; The first one is to establish the therapeutic relationship, mainly aimed at discussing the changes that the upcoming treatment can bring to the patient, helping the patient understand that their obsessive-compulsive symptoms are mainly due to their dysfunctional evaluation system and helping them understand the reasons for the gradual increase in their obsessive behaviors. Normalization of anxiety and the analysis of the pros and cons of anxiety lay the groundwork for the next exposure therapy. The therapist also needs to help the patient understand and accept the next TEAS synchronous ERP treatment. In the last treatment, the therapist should summarize the treatment process with the patient. In addition, the therapist needs to understand the patient's feedback on the treatment, consolidate the achieved treatment effects, and jointly discuss the prevention of recurrence with the patient.; Device: Sham Transcutaneous Acupoint Electrical Stimulation; A transient placebo-tens simulation stimulation was adopted. A bonding electrode pad was placed 1 cm radially from the Neiguan acupoint. The stimulation intensity was adjusted to the minimum sensory threshold for 30 seconds, then gradually reduced over the next 15 seconds, making the stimulation active for a total of 45 seconds. This ensured that no current was transmitted to the electrode pad while maintaining the blinding condition.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
The reduction rate of the Yale Brown Depression Scale	Calculation: Baseline YBCOS total score - Follow-up YBOCS total score / Baseline YBCOS total score.A deduction rate of 35% or higher is considered valid.	week 0（baseline）, week 8（post-intervention）, week12 (follow-up）

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
The reduction rate of the BDI-II	BDI-II：It consists of 21 items, used to assess the severity of each depressive symptom. Each item is divided into four levels ranging from 0 to 3. The total score of the scale is the sum of the scores of the 21 items. The BDI-II is one of the most widely used self-rating depression scales at present. The Chinese version was introduced by this research group and its reliability and validity were evaluated. Calculation: Baseline BDI total score - Follow-up BDI total score / Baseline BDI total score. A reduction rate of 50% or higher is considered valid.	week 0（baseline）, week 8（post-intervention）, week12（follow-up）
The reduction rate of BAI	BAI：It consists of 21 items, each of which is divided into 0-3 levels, and is used for self-assessment of individual anxiety symptoms. The total score is the sum of the scores of each item, and the possible score range is 0 to 63 points. The higher the score, the more severe the anxiety symptoms. This scale has good internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Its Chinese version has similar reliability and validity to the original version. Calculation: Baseline BAI total score - Follow-up BAI total score / Baseline BAI total score. A reduction rate of 50% or higher is considered valid.	Time Frame: week 0（baseline）, week 8（post-intervention）, week12（follow-up）

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Shanghai Mental Health Center
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Jue Chen, Shanghai Mental Health Center

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): September 7, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2027

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 4, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 4, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): September 10, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): September 10, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 4, 2026
• Last Verified: September 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Anxiety Disorders; Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2026-OCD67

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No