Efficacy of acupuncture for sleep disorders in amnestic mild cognitive impairment: a randomized controlled trial with fMRI.

OBJECTIVE

To access the efficacy of acupuncture in improving sleep disorders in patients with amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (aMCI) and to investigate its mechanisms.

METHODS

Thirty aMCI patients with sleep disorders and fifteen healthy controls (HC) were enrolled. Patients were randomly assigned to verum acupuncture group (VA) or sham acupuncture group (SA) for a 12-week treatment. Assessments included the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and resting-state Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI).

RESULTS

At baseline, patients with aMCI exhibited aberrant brain activity in temporal, frontal, parietal, and cerebellar regions compared with HCs. After treatment, the VA group, but not the SA group, showed significant improvements in both MoCA and PSQI scores. Rs-fMRI analyses revealed significant VA-related changes in the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) in the left calcarine sulcus and regional homogeneity (ReHo) in the cerebellar vermis. Changes in these imaging indicators were significantly correlated with changes in MoCA scores but not with changes in PSQI scores. Moreover, changes in MoCA scores were negatively correlated with changes in PSQI scores in the VA group (r = -0.536, p = 0.039).

CONCLUSION

Acupuncture could effectively improve sleep and cognitive function in aMCI patients. The treatment-related alterations in brain function may be associated with changes in the dermatome layer and the brain-cerebellar cortex circuitry.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: https://itmctr.ccebtcm.org.cn/mgt/search, Identifier ITMCTR2026000708.