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. 2026 Feb 27:22:585695.
doi: 10.2147/NDT.S585695. eCollection 2026.

Acupuncture for Mild Cognitive Impairment in Vascular Parkinsonism: A Prospective, Randomized, Controlled Trial Protocol

Ziru Yu #  1   2   3 , Ying Wang #  3 , Xu Wang  4   5 , Yanlong Xie  6 , Yingdong Wang  3 , Limeng Li  3 , Wenxiu Qin  1   2   3 , Qingjie Kong  1   2   3 , Peng Zhang  1   2 , Junfeng Xu  1   2
Affiliations

Acupuncture for Mild Cognitive Impairment in Vascular Parkinsonism: A Prospective, Randomized, Controlled Trial Protocol

Ziru Yu et al. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. .

Abstract

Purpose: Vascular parkinsonism (VP) is a form of secondary parkinsonism caused by cerebrovascular disease and is typically associated with progressive cognitive decline, which greatly disrupts patients' daily lives and well-being. Vascular parkinsonism with mild cognitive impairment (VP-MCI) represents an early and potentially reversible stage of cognitive dysfunction, and an important window for early intervention. However, effective therapies for VP-MCI remain limited. Acupuncture is a non-pharmacological intervention that has shown potential benefits for motor and cognitive functions in vascular-related disorders. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture in patients with VP-MCI and to explore possible mechanisms.

Patients and methods: This is a prospective, two-center, randomized, controlled, and assessor-blinded clinical trial. A total of 105 patients with VP-MCI and 12 healthy controls will be enrolled. Patients will be randomly assigned to acupuncture, sham acupuncture, or waiting-list groups. Participants in the intervention groups will receive verum or sham acupuncture three times per week for 8 weeks (24 sessions in total), with each session lasting 30 minutes. Patients in the waiting-list group will receive acupuncture after completion of the trial. The primary outcome is the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Secondary outcomes include the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Part III of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS-III), Activities of Daily Living (ADL), Transcranial Color-Coded Doppler (TCCD), serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) levels, and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).

Discussion: This trial is designed to provide clinical evidence for the efficacy of acupuncture in alleviating cognitive impairment in VP-MCI, and to explain its underlying mechanism. The findings are expected to support acupuncture as a potential complementary therapy for the early management of VP-MCI.

Keywords: acupuncture; cognitive function; diffusion tensor imaging; neurofilament light chain; vascular parkinsonism.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flowchart of trial process.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Location of the acupoints and non-acupoints. Blue dots represent acupoints, including Neiguan (PC6), Renzhong (GV26), Baihui (GV20), Sishencong (EX-HN1), Fengchi (GB20), Wangu (GB12), Tianzhu (BL10), Sibai (ST2), Shenmen (HT7), Fenglong (ST40), Sanyinjiao (SP6), and Taichong (LR3). Red dots represent non-acupoints (NA1–NA10).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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