Effects of Acupuncture Therapy Combined with Conventional Western Medicine on Auditory Hallucination Symptoms,Mental Health,and Monoamine-Related Biomarkers in Patients with Chronic Auditory Hallucinations in Schizophrenia

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to explore the effects of acupuncture therapy in combination with conventional Western medicine on auditory hallucination symptoms, mental health, and monoamine-related biomarkers in patients who suffer from chronic auditory hallucinations (CAH) in schizophrenia. Methods: We retrospectively selected 62 patients with schizophrenia who received acupuncture therapy combined with conventional Western medicine at Beijing Huilongguan Hospital, Capital Medical University, during the period between January 2022 and January 2025; these patients were included in the combination group, while 30 patients who received conventional Western medicine treatment during the same period were included in the conventional group, with the conventional group receiving second-generation antipsychotic drugs alone as Western medicine treatment, and the combination group receiving acupuncture therapy in addition to the treatment given to the conventional group. Between the two groups, we compared Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) P3 scores, total PANSS scores, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) scores, Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA) scores, and Psychological/Psychiatric Status Scale (PSY) scores before treatment and at 4, 8, 12, and 24 weeks of treatment. Dopamine (DA) and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) levels, Personal and Social Performance Scale (PSP) scores, Schizophrenia Quality of Life Scale (SQLS) scores, and the adverse reactions incidence in the treatment process were compared at 24 weeks of treatment and before treatment. Results: From 4 to 24 weeks of treatment, in these two groups, PANSS-P3 scores, PANSS total scores, HAMD scores, HAMA scores, and PSY scores showed a continuous downward trend, and compared with the conventional group, the above scores at each time point in the combination group were significantly lower (P < 0.05), and also compared with the conventional group, at 24 weeks of treatment, PSP scores in the combination group were significantly higher, while SQLS scores were significantly lower; the total incidence of adverse reactions in the combination group was 20.97%, with small difference from 26.67% in the conventional group (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Acupuncture therapy combined with conventional Western medicine may further improve auditory hallucination symptoms, overall psychiatric symptoms, depressive and anxiety symptoms, and social functioning in patients with schizophrenia and CAH, while modulating peripheral DA and 5-HT levels without increasing adverse reactions, suggesting potential for clinical application.