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This systematic review, published in Frontiers in Neuroscience, examined whether acupuncture can slow cognitive decline in people with mild cognitive impairment by influencing the microbiota-gut-brain axis — the two-way communication network linking gut bacteria, the intestinal environment, and the brain. Researchers searched four major databases and identified five studies meeting their inclusion criteria: two clinical randomised controlled trials involving 102 participants and three preclinical animal studies involving 165 animals.
In the clinical trials, manual acupuncture produced meaningful improvements across several established cognitive assessment tools. One trial reported that acupuncture led to a reduction of nearly four points on the Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale cognitive subscale after twelve weeks, compared with an increase in the waitlist control group — a statistically significant between-group difference. The second trial found a substantially higher overall clinical response rate in the acupuncture group. These cognitive gains were accompanied by favourable shifts in gut bacteria populations, including increased levels of butyrate-producing species, and were linked to improved brain connectivity patterns on functional magnetic resonance imaging. Animal studies further demonstrated that electroacupuncture reduced hippocampal damage, lowered inflammatory markers, strengthened the intestinal barrier, and raised serotonin levels.
The authors acknowledge that the evidence base remains small and that methodological limitations apply. Conclusion: This review provides encouraging early evidence that acupuncture may protect cognitive function in mild cognitive impairment by reshaping the gut microbiome and reducing neuroinflammation, though larger, more rigorous trials are needed to confirm these findings.
Source: Khalifeh Soltani MS, Wang L. Frontiers in neuroscience (2026). View on PubMed (PMID 42614390) · doi:10.3389/fnins.2026.1867545
