NCT07779863Not yet recruiting
Acupressure as Long-term Intervention to Slow the Progression of Early/Mild Alzheimer's Disease
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
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Last updated 24 Aug 2026
Brief summary (registry, in English)
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.
- Status (registry)
- Not yet recruiting
- Study type
- Interventional
- Enrollment
- 188 (estimated)
- First submitted
- 18 Aug 2026
- Start date
- Jan 2027
- Primary completion date
- Aug 2029
- Lead sponsor
- The University of Hong Kong
- Diseases
- Alzheimer disease
- NCT number
- NCT07779863
What you commit to
- Study type: Interventional
- Planned participants: 188
- From Jan 2027 to the primary completion date, Aug 2029
- 1 site in 1 country
- Visits and tests: ask the trial team, the registry does not list them
Built from the registry fields of ClinicalTrials.gov. It describes the study, not your situation.
Who cannot take part
Copied verbatim from ClinicalTrials.gov and grouped by topic. Only the trial team decides who can take part.
Prior treatment
- had a surgery on the head or neck
Other illness
- cannot proficiently communicate due to language function impairment
- have a medical condition that is a contraindication for acupressure.
Age
- show moderate-to-severe dementia, as evidenced by a HK-MoCA score falling below the 2nd percentile of his/her peers adjusted for age and education
Other
- have severe skin lesions on acupressure areas
Who the study is looking for
- have at least one of the following abnormal plasma amyloid and tau levels: Aβ42/Aβ40 ratio ≤ 0.17, p-tau217 \> 0.15 pg/ml, or/and p-tau181 \> 3.3 pg/ml
- have mild neurocognitive disorder with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, Hong Kong version (HK-MoCA) in classifying mild neurocognitive disorder, in which mild neurocognitive disorder is defined as those whose HK-MoCA score falls between the 16th and 2nd percentile of his/her peers adjusted for age and education
Age in the registry: 60 years to 85 years · Sex: All · Does not accept healthy volunteers
Sites (1)
Sites in registry order. Pick your city on the disease page to sort them by distance.
| Site | City | Country | Site status |
|---|---|---|---|
| School of Chinese Medicine, University of Hong Kong Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Hong Kong | Hong Kong SAR China | Unknown status |
This page is information, not medical advice. Discuss any trial with your doctor.