ArticleFrontiers in psychiatry2026
Acupoint temperature as a biomarker: infrared thermography in the diagnosis of adolescents with major depressive disorder.
Article in Frontiers in psychiatry, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06750640 (Acupoint Thermal Radiation Characteristics in Adolescents with Major Depressive Disorder and Establishment of Diagnostic Model), which is not on this map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Acupoint Thermal Radiation Characteristics in Adolescents with Major Depressive Disorder and Establishment of Diagnostic Model
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Abstract
Background: The prevalence of adolescent major depressive disorder (MDD) is rising; however, diagnosis relies on subjective measures due to a lack of objective biomarkers. This study explored infrared thermography (IRT) as a non-invasive tool to quantify thermal radiation characteristics of acupoints in adolescents with MDD. The objective was to establish diagnostic models based on acupoint temperature-derived biomarkers. Methods: A prospective, multi-center observational study enrolled 108 participants (65 adolescents with MDD and 43 healthy controls [HCs]). We first examined correlations between acupoint temperatures and depression severity using Pearson analysis. Multiple linear and binary logistic regression models were developed to diagnose MDD and assess severity. The diagnostic model for MDD was visualized as a nomogram and validated using Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves, Hosmer-Lemeshow tests, calibration plots, and decision curve analysis (DCA). Internal validation was performed using the bootstrap method. Results: Among 27 acupoints analyzed, adolescents with MDD exhibited altered acupoint temperatures at Taiyang (EX-HN5), Quchi (LI11), Yanggu (SI5), and Waiqiu (GB36). Subsequent Pearson correlation analysis revealed negative correlations between the infrared relative temperatures of Taiyang (EX-HN5), Quchi (LI11), and Waiqiu (GB36) and depression severity ( Conclusions: In conclusion, acupoint temperature-based models show promising efficacy for the objective and non-invasive diagnosis and severity quantification of adolescents with MDD, offering valuable tools for early clinical intervention. Future studies should validate these findings across diverse populations and integrate multi-modal biomarkers to enhance diagnostic precision. Clinical Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT06750640.
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