[Tiaoshen acupuncture for primary insomnia: a pilot randomized controlled trial]

Area of Science:

• Integrative and Complementary Medicine
• Neuroscience
• Sleep Medicine

Background:

• Primary insomnia (PI) significantly impacts cognitive function and quality of life.
• Acupuncture, particularly the "Tiaoshen" (regulating the spirit) approach, is explored for its therapeutic potential in PI.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of "Tiaoshen" acupuncture on cognitive function and sleep quality in patients with PI.
• To investigate the correlation between improvements in sleep quality and cognitive function.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial involving 60 PI patients, divided into an observation group (Tiaoshen acupuncture) and a control group (sham acupuncture).
• Standardized assessments including the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Digit Span Test (DST), Trail Making Test (TMT)-A, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Fatigue Scale-14 (FS-14) were administered.
• Treatments were administered over 4 weeks, with assessments conducted pre-treatment, post-treatment, and at a 4-week follow-up.

Main Results:

• The "Tiaoshen" acupuncture group showed significant improvements in MoCA scores (total, visuospatial, executive function, delayed memory) and DST backward scores (P<0.01).
• Patients receiving "Tiaoshen" acupuncture experienced significant reductions in TMT-A time, PSQI, and FS-14 scores (P<0.01) compared to baseline and the control group.
• A significant negative correlation was observed between improvements in PSQI and MoCA scores in the "Tiaoshen" acupuncture group (r=-0.481, P<0.01).

Conclusions:

• "Tiaoshen" acupuncture is effective in improving cognitive function, sleep quality, and reducing daytime fatigue in patients with PI.
• The findings suggest that enhanced cognitive function in PI patients treated with "Tiaoshen" acupuncture is closely associated with improved sleep quality.