Cross-Cultural Brain Activity Differences Between True and Sham Acupuncture for Xerostomia During Head and Neck Cancer Radiotherapy.

Background: A prior phase III, multicenter (United States and China), clinical trial found true acupuncture (TA) resulted in lower xerostomia scores 12 months after radiotherapy than that of a standard care control group. This small pilot study examined brain function changes comparing TA to sham acupuncture (SA) in US and Fudan patients undergoing head and neck radiotherapy.

Methods: To determine cerebral activity during TA versus SA acupuncture, patients underwent electroencephalogram evaluation (EEG) immediately prior, during and after both conditions.