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Acupressure as Long-term Intervention to Slow the Progression of Early/Mild Alzheimer's Disease
Sponsor: The University of Hong Kong
Summary
This is an assessor-blinded, randomized controlled trial. A total of 188 older adults aged 60-85 years with early/mild AD will be recruited from care and attention homes for the elderly and elderly activity centers. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive least acupressure control (LAC, n = 94) and Comfy Acupressure for the Elderly (CAE, n = 94), administered by caregivers (i.e., trained research assistants), for 3 sessions a week for 12 months. The primary outcome is the change in the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score from baseline. The secondary outcomes include functional independence, psychological well-being, sleep quality, and health-related quality of life. The outcomes will be assessed at baseline and once bimonthly thereafter, totaling 7 sessions. A linear mixed-effect model will be applied to compare the primary and secondary outcomes. Three blood samples will be collected at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months, respectively, and the baseline blood sample will be immediately measured for the measurement of plasma Aβ42, Aβ40, p-tau181, and p-tau217, blood glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and neurofilament light chain protein (NfL). Repeated two-way variance (ANOVA) will be used to detect significant differences in blood biomarkers between the two groups. Linear regression will be conducted to examine inter-correlations between clinical outcomes and biomarker levels. Health and social care resource use will additionally be recorded at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months for the economic evaluation to examine the cost-effectiveness of the CAE intervention compared with LAC.
Official title: Caregiver-administered Acupressure as Long-term Intervention to Slow the Progression of Early/Mild Alzheimer's Disease With Blood Amyloid and Tau Biomarkers: a Randomized Controlled Trial
Key Details
Gender
All
Age Range
60 Years - 85 Years
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment
188
Start Date
2027-01-01
Completion Date
2030-08-31
Last Updated
2026-08-24
Healthy Volunteers
No
Conditions
Interventions
Comfy Acupressure for the Elderly
CAE consists of 12 steps, which need about 15 minutes to complete and concentrate on the acupoints on the face, head, neck, shoulder, and hand. CAE intervention will be conducted 3 times per week for 12 consecutive months by trained research assistants.
Least acupressure control
LAC consists of three acupoints in the head, neck/shoulder, and hand: Tongtian (BL7), Jianzhen (SI9), and Shousanli (LI10). The completion of one LAC session needs about 3 to 4 minutes. LAC intervention will be conducted 3 times per week for 12 consecutive months by trained research assistants.
Locations (1)
School of Chinese Medicine, University of Hong Kong
Hong Kong, Hong Kong