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Prolonged disorders of consciousness – such as the minimally conscious state and unresponsive wakefulness syndrome – are among the most challenging conditions in neurology, with few effective treatments. This network meta-analysis compared several non-drug therapies, including acupuncture.
The researchers pooled 32 randomised controlled trials involving 1,770 patients, comparing repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, transcranial direct current stimulation, median nerve stimulation, hyperbaric oxygen and acupuncture, using the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised to measure level of consciousness.
All five therapies were associated with improved consciousness scores. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation ranked as the most effective overall, while acupuncture also showed a measurable benefit. The authors note the usual caveats of variable study quality and call for larger trials.
Conclusion: acupuncture appears to be one of several non-pharmacological options that may support recovery in prolonged disorders of consciousness, although brain-stimulation techniques ranked highest in this analysis.
Source: Xu C, Yang H, Cai W, and colleagues. Front Neurol. 2026. View on PubMed (PMID 42211299)
This is a plain-language summary of a published study, provided for general information; please refer to the original paper for full details.
