Supporting data for "Invasive acupuncture and transcutaneous scalp-auricular electrical acupoint stimulation (TECAS) for depressive disorder: randomized controlled trials"

To 1) better understand the efficacy and mechanisms of acupuncture and 2) to improve its current applications on depression, we applied a non-invasive device to study the changes in brain connectivity in MDD patients after receiving acupuncture treatments

1) fNIRS study

70 patients were recruited (treatment (n=50), control (n=20)) across Hong Kong. The treatment group received acupuncture and antidepressants for 3 weeks, while the control group received antidepressant monotherapy for 3 weeks. Acupuncture was administrated twice a week for 3 consecutive weeks. In each group, 20 participants’ resting state functional connectivity were measured. Primary outcome was the change in HAMD-17 scores from baseline. Secondary outcomes included the changes in PHQ-9 scores, hemodynamic changes and rsFC in the DLPFC.

2) TECAS study

70 patients were recruited (antidepressant treatment (n=35); TECAS treatment (n=35)) form the University of Hong Kong- Shen Zhen Hospital from July 2019 to April 2021. Both groups received 8 weeks of treatments. Patients in the TECAS group were required to apply the device twice a day, 30 minutes for each session. While the antidepressant group were prescribed 10-20mg Escitalopram q.d. Primary outcome was the MADRS total score change from baseline. Secondary outcomes included the total score change of the HAMD-17, HAM-A, PSQI, SF- 36 and SERS.