ArticleWorld journal of psychiatry2026
Acupuncture on 5-hydroxytryptamine levels and clinical outcomes in depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Article in World journal of psychiatry, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- The Impact of Warm Needle Acupuncture Based on Traditional Chinese Medicine on Psychological Well-Being and Quality of Life in Osteoporotic Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Study.Patient preference and adherence · 2026Article
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
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Abstract
backgroundDepression is a prevalent global mental health issue with substantial disease burden. Although pharmacotherapy remains the first-line treatment, its efficacy and tolerability are limited. Acupuncture, a core modality in traditional Chinese medicine, has shown promise in improving depressive symptoms
aimTo evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture in patients with depression and explore its feasibility as an adjunctive treatment.
methodsTwenty randomized controlled trials on traditional acupuncture for depression-whose quality was assessed using the Cochrane tool-were included in this meta-analysis. Primary outcomes were the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D), Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), and Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). Secondary outcomes were the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA), Self-Rating Scale for the Side Effects (SERS), and serum 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) levels. RevMan 5.4 software was employed for the meta-analysis.
resultsResults revealed that acupuncture significantly reduced HAM-D, SDS, and MADRS scores. Although BDI-II scores improved in some studies, its overall effect was not statistically significant. Acupuncture also significantly improved HAMA and PSQI scores and increased serum 5-HT levels. Notably, SERS analysis indicated that acupuncture can significantly alleviate adverse reactions associated with antidepressants. However, most pooled results revealed substantial heterogeneity.
conclusionThe efficacy of traditional acupuncture improving symptoms, sleep, and anxiety and alleviating antidepressant side effects is highly encouraging. However, the low quality of the included studies warrants cautious interpretation.
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