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Open research questions in Acupuncture Treatment Research Studies

368 gap statements mined from Acupuncture Treatment Research Studies papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 1,215 papers on the topic — drawn mostly from each paper's own stated research gap, future-work, challenge and limitation notes, and its abstract. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one.

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What the literature leaves open

  • The lack of safe and effective non-pharmacological adjunctive therapies for postoperative rehabilitation in DLSD. The need for a systematic review of the clinical efficacy of acupuncture in postoperative rehabilitation for DLSD.

    Acupuncture for postoperative rehabilitation in degenerative lumbar spinal diseases: mechanisms and clinical evidence · 2026 · DOI

  • The factors associated with cognitive improvement in stroke patients receiving acupuncture are unclear. The heterogeneity in patient responses to acupuncture underscores the urgent need to identify modifiable and non-modifiable determinants of treatment outcome.

    Determinants of MoCA improvement in post-ischemic stroke patients receiving acupuncture: a retrospective study · 2026 · DOI

  • The molecular basis of electroacupuncture's effects on lipid metabolism has not been systematically synthesized. The limitations of statin therapy, including resistance and adverse events, necessitate alternative interventions.

    Electroacupuncture regulates lipid metabolism through PPARγ-associated LXRα signaling: from nuclear receptor signaling to cardiovascular protection · 2026 · DOI

  • The pathogenesis of postoperative gastrointestinal dysfunction is not fully understood. There is a need to investigate the effects of needleless transcutaneous electrical acustimulation on gastrointestinal function recovery after multi-level lumbar surgery. Current research has not fully explored the correlation between gastrointestinal recovery indicators and autonomic nervous function.

    Effects of Needleless Transcutaneous Electrical Acustimulation on Gastrointestinal Function Recovery After Multi-Level Lumbar Surgery: A Randomized Clinical Trial · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a need for high-quality, large-sample clinical trials to firmly establish the efficacy of acupuncture in treating chronic gastritis. Further mechanistic studies are needed to validate the interconnections among relevant signaling pathways.

    Research Progress on the Efficacy and Mechanism of Acupuncture in Treating Chronic Gastritis · 2025 · DOI

  • Acupuncture is effective for pain relief, but its role in fascial repair remains unclear.

    Modulatory mechanisms of electroacupuncture in fascial tissue repair: a pilot study using a rat model of thoracolumbar fasciitis · 2026 · DOI

  • However, the potential protective mechanism associated with mitophagy has not been well elucidated.

    Electroacupuncture pretreatment regulates mitophagy in ULK1 knockout mice subjected to cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury · 2026 · DOI

  • In the treatment of post-stroke depression (PSD), acupuncture has emerged as a therapeutic option; however, the exact mechanisms underlying its efficacy remain unclear.

    Effects of manual acupuncture on microglial polarization and the Sirt1/NF-κB pathway in a rat model of post-stroke depression · 2026 · DOI

  • Electroacupuncture (EA) has shown efficacy in the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but the underlying mechanism of action remains unclear.

    Electroacupuncture mitigates lung injury, increases endogenous antioxidant levels and modulates Nrf2 signaling in a rat model of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease · 2026 · DOI

  • Acupuncture may alleviate both the motor and depressive symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD); however, the underlying mechanism has not yet been elucidated.

    Acupuncture inhibits autophagy and promotes synaptic repair by activating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway in a rat model of depression in Parkinson’s disease · 2026 · DOI

  • These findings provide a scientific basis for the use of acupuncture in pain management and, although the underlying mechanisms remain unclear, suggest new directions for future research.

    Anti-inflammatory mechanisms underlying sympathetic nervous system–mediated acupuncture analgesia · 2026 · DOI

  • Press tack needles offer a more practical modality; however, their efficacy with respect to leg muscle strength remains unknown.

    Preliminary investigation into the effects of acupuncture on leg muscle strength: A randomized controlled trial in sports students · 2026 · DOI

  • Acupuncture has been reported to modulate autonomic and immune functions; however, its precise molecular mechanism in CP remains unclear.

    Acupuncture Mediates the Treatment of Childhood Pneumonia via Modulation of Lung ADRB2 · 2026 · DOI

  • Electroacupuncture (EA) is widely used in neurological rehabilitation, but its specific mechanism for improving reperfusion injury in ischemic stroke remains unclear.

    Electroacupuncture alleviates ferroptosis through miR-145-5p/ACSL4 axis to reduce post-reperfusion brain injury in ischemic stroke · 2026 · DOI

  • These hypothesis-generating observations may inform the design of future prospective studies and suggest patient characteristics that warrant further investigation.

    Determinants of MoCA improvement in post-ischemic stroke patients receiving acupuncture: a retrospective study · 2026 · DOI

  • However, whether acupuncture exerts its anxiolytic effects by modulating neurotransmitter imbalance remains unclear.

    Acupuncture Modulates Neurotransmitter‐Related Molecules in the Amygdala to Ameliorate Generalized Anxiety Disorder · 2026 · DOI

  • However, the exact therapeutic mechanisms underlying EA's effects on schizophrenia remain poorly understood.

    Restoration of Excitation‐Inhibition Balance and Improvement of Schizophrenia‐like Behavioral Deficits via Electroacupuncture · 2026 · DOI

  • Plantar fasciitis (PF) is a leading cause of heel pain, yet effective treatments for chronic, recalcitrant cases are scarce.

    Efficacy of acupuncture for chronic recalcitrant plantar fasciitis: A randomized trial · 2026 · DOI

  • Sleep disorders (SD) are highly prevalent in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD); however, effective pharmacological interventions are often limited by adverse effects or insufficient efficacy.

    Efficacy and acupoint specificity of sedative-tranquilizing acupuncture for Alzheimer’s disease with sleep disorders: A three-arm randomized controlled trial protocol · 2026 · DOI

  • However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this mechanotransduction process remain unknown.

    Piezo1-mitochondrial calcium uniporter coupling-dependent mechanotransduction basis for acupuncture to drive analgesia · 2026 · DOI

  • Prospective randomized, sham-controlled trials are warranted to verify these results.

    Protective effects of Electroacupuncture on patients with spontaneous severe intraventricular hemorrhage · 2025 · DOI

  • Further studies on the mechanisms of acupuncture, - Investigation of technique-specific effects of acupuncture, - Research on the optimization of acupuncture treatment…

    Acupuncture for postoperative rehabilitation in degenerative lumbar spinal diseases: mechanisms and clinical evidence · 2026 · DOI

  • Most acupuncture-related BOLD-fMRI studies still rely mainly on clinical and neuropsychological criteria, with limited biomarker confirmation, - The same clinical diagnosis may therefore include individuals with different degrees of underlying AD pathology, - Interpretation of BOLD-fMRI is further complicated by the vascular changes that accompany…

    Acupuncture-related brain network findings across clinical stages of the Alzheimer’s disease continuum: a critical review of functional MRI evidence · 2026 · DOI

  • Including biomarker information in acupuncture studies would help clarify whether differences in BOLD-fMRI findings are related to clinical stage, pathological burden, or both, - Baseline network organization may also influence the relationship between AD pathology and cognitive…

    Acupuncture-related brain network findings across clinical stages of the Alzheimer’s disease continuum: a critical review of functional MRI evidence · 2026 · DOI

  • Investigate the optimal stimulation parameters for different diseases and therapeutic goals, - Examine the effects of EA on specific co-regulators and epigenetic factors, - Study the role of gut-microbiota remodeling in the metabolic effects…

    Electroacupuncture regulates lipid metabolism through PPARγ-associated LXRα signaling: from nuclear receptor signaling to cardiovascular protection · 2026 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Acupuncture Treatment Research Studies

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Open questions raised by papers listed on this page include: (1) The lack of safe and effective non-pharmacological adjunctive therapies for postoperative rehabilitation in DLSD (“Acupuncture for postoperative rehabilitation in degenerative lumbar spinal…”, 2026); (2) The factors associated with cognitive improvement in stroke patients receiving acupuncture are unclear (“Determinants of MoCA improvement in post-ischemic stroke patients receiving…”, 2026); (3) The pathogenesis of postoperative gastrointestinal dysfunction is not fully understood (“Effects of Needleless Transcutaneous Electrical Acustimulation on…”, 2026); (4) Acupuncture is effective for pain relief, but its role in fascial repair remains unclear (“Modulatory mechanisms of electroacupuncture in fascial tissue repair: a pilot…”, 2026); (5) The potential protective mechanism associated with mitophagy has not been well elucidated (“Electroacupuncture pretreatment regulates mitophagy in ULK1 knockout mice…”, 2026). 368 gap statements have been mined from Acupuncture Treatment Research Studies papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 1,215 papers on the topic; the gaps come from whichever of those papers state one. They are mostly the research gaps the authors state and the papers' abstracts, plus future-work, limitations and challenges passages. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one, so you can read the original claim in context.

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