fMRI Evaluation of Auricular Acupuncture Targets: An Exploratory Clinical Study

This study employs resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) to examine whether auricular press needles acupuncture modulates functional connectivity between the insula and medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC), in a manner comparable to transcranial vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS), and to assess its association with interoceptive improvement. By establishing a neurophysiological baseline for auricular vagus nerve stimulation (aVNS) in the healthy brain, the research aims to clarify its regulatory mechanisms in cognition and emotion. The findings provide a key theoretical and evaluative framework for translating aVNS into clinical applications for insomnia and depression.

NCT Number	NCT07332962
Lead Sponsor	Jiangsu Taizhou People's Hospital
Conditions	Healthy Participants
Enrollment	40 participants
Start Date	2025-12-20
Primary Completion	2025-12-30 (estimated)
Study Completion	2026-03-01 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov	2026-05-20