{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,9]],"date-time":"2026-03-09T11:21:57Z","timestamp":1773055317881,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":40,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,15]],"date-time":"2025-05-15T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1747267200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100004863","name":"Zhejiang Chinese Medical University","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["2023FSYYZZ13"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2023FSYYZZ13"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100004863","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100004863","name":"Zhejiang Chinese Medical University","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["ZS22CA03"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["ZS22CA03"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100004863","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Neurosci."],"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Background<\/jats:title><jats:p>Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is a hearing disorder caused by damage to the inner ear, the auditory centers, or the auditory nerve in the brain. Sensorineural hearing loss not only causes an increase in the pure tone audiometry of patients, but also may lead to a decrease in word recognition scores. Although contemporary medical advancements like cochlear hearing devices and auditory aids provide some assistance to individuals with hearing loss, many patients still seek more natural and non-invasive treatment options.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Case presentation<\/jats:title><jats:p>A 61-year-old male patient came to our acupuncture clinic on September 22, 2024, complaining of significant hearing deficit in his left ear, which had persisted for 1\u202fyear. Upon admission, pure tone audiometry showed severe hearing loss across all frequencies in the left ear, with a word recognition score of 64. Based on the comprehensive examination results, we diagnosed him with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). The patient had previously received both traditional Chinese and Western medical treatments at several hospitals, but his symptoms had not significantly improved. On October 20, 2024, after 11 sessions of acupuncture, the patient reported an improvement in his hearing, with the word recognition score in his left ear increasing from 64 to 76. On November 17, 2024, after completing 21 acupuncture sessions, the word recognition score in his left ear further advanced from 76 to 94. Ultimately, a two-month follow-up showed no recurrence of hearing loss.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title><jats:p>Acupuncture might serve as a promising treatment choice for improving word recognition scores in individuals suffering from hearing loss.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fnins.2025.1593659","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,15]],"date-time":"2025-05-15T05:29:02Z","timestamp":1747286942000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Acupuncture might enhance word recognition scores in a patient with hearing loss: a case report and literature review"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"19","author":[{"given":"Ke","family":"Fang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Da","family":"Jiang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Minghui","family":"Zhao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Hantong","family":"Hu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Yang","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Hong","family":"Gao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Jie","family":"Zhou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,15]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"131","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jams.2019.05.002","article-title":"Thermal effects of acupuncture by the infrared thermography test in patients with tinnitus","volume":"12","author":"Cai","year":"2019","journal-title":"J. Acupunct. Meridian Stud."},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"6855775","DOI":"10.1155\/2022\/6855775","article-title":"Electroacupuncture promotes neuroplasticity of central auditory pathway: an auditory evoked potentials study","volume":"2022","author":"Chang","year":"2022","journal-title":"Evid. Based Complement. Alternat. Med."},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"305","DOI":"10.1007\/s10162-023-00892-4","article-title":"Bandpass shape of distortion-product otoacoustic emission ratio functions reflects cochlear frequency tuning in normal-hearing mice","volume":"24","author":"Dewey","year":"2023","journal-title":"J. Assoc. Res. Otolaryngol."},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"751","DOI":"10.13702\/j.1000-0607.20230243","article-title":"Study on the mechanisms of acupuncture combined with paroxetine in the treatment of mild to moderate depression based on DNA methylation analysis","volume":"49","author":"Dilinuer","year":"2024","journal-title":"Acupunct. Res."},{"key":"ref5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"341","DOI":"10.1093\/qjmed\/hct196","article-title":"Acupuncture modulates the neuro-endocrine-immune network","volume":"107","author":"Ding","year":"2014","journal-title":"QJM"},{"key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"103142","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ctim.2025.103142","article-title":"The safety and effectiveness of tDCS for epileptic patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"89","author":"Ding","year":"2025","journal-title":"Complement. Ther. Med."},{"key":"ref7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"100","DOI":"10.1007\/s00106-022-01251-0","article-title":"OLSA level control in monaural speech audiometry in background noise for the evaluation of the CI fitting result","volume":"71","author":"Dziemba","year":"2023","journal-title":"HNO"},{"key":"ref8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3089","DOI":"10.1007\/s00405-019-05613-3","article-title":"Cochlear implant outcomes in the elderly: a uni- and multivariate analyses of prognostic factors","volume":"276","author":"Favaretto","year":"2019","journal-title":"Eur. Arch. Otorhinolaryngol."},{"key":"ref9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"12","DOI":"10.1038\/s41539-025-00306-5","article-title":"Immersive auditory-cognitive training improves speech-in-noise perception in older adults with varying hearing and working memory","volume":"10","author":"Frei","year":"2025","journal-title":"npj Sci. Learn."},{"key":"ref10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1492452","DOI":"10.3389\/fncir.2024.1492452","article-title":"Alpha-2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors regulate spectral integration in auditory cortex","volume":"18","author":"Intskirveli","year":"2024","journal-title":"Front. Neural Circuits"},{"key":"ref11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"191","DOI":"10.3390\/biology14020191","article-title":"Automating speech audiometry in quiet and in noise using a deep neural network","volume":"14","author":"Jean","year":"2025","journal-title":"Biology"},{"key":"ref12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2979","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms20122979","article-title":"Purinergic signaling and cochlear injury-targeting the immune system?","volume":"20","author":"K\u00f6les","year":"2019","journal-title":"Int. J. Mol. Sci."},{"key":"ref13","first-page":"341","article-title":"Correlation between phonetically balanced maximum and pure tone auditory threshold among 106 auditory neuropathy patients","volume":"43","author":"Lan","year":"2008","journal-title":"Chin. J. Otorhinolaryngol. Head Neck Surg."},{"key":"ref14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1016\/j.heares.2009.06.009","article-title":"Neural activity underlying tinnitus generation: results from PET and fMRI","volume":"255","author":"Lanting","year":"2009","journal-title":"Hear. Res."},{"key":"ref15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"295","DOI":"10.1089\/acu.2020.1514","article-title":"Neuropuncture, an effective treatment method for patients with subjective tinnitus accompanied with hearing loss: case reports","volume":"33","author":"Law","year":"2021","journal-title":"Med. Acupunct."},{"key":"ref16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"6616060","DOI":"10.1155\/2021\/6616060","article-title":"Resting-state fMRI in studies of acupuncture","volume":"2021","author":"Li","year":"2021","journal-title":"Evid. Based Complement. Alternat. Med."},{"key":"ref17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"5635596","DOI":"10.1155\/2022\/5635596","article-title":"Revealing the neuroimaging mechanism of acupuncture for poststroke aphasia: a systematic review","volume":"2022","author":"Li","year":"2022","journal-title":"Neural Plast."},{"key":"ref18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1038945","DOI":"10.3389\/fnins.2022.1038945","article-title":"The autonomic nervous system: a potential link to the efficacy of acupuncture","volume":"16","author":"Li","year":"2022","journal-title":"Front. Neurosci."},{"key":"ref19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2195","DOI":"10.1001\/jama.2020.17647","article-title":"Hearing loss in children: a review","volume":"324","author":"Lieu","year":"2020","journal-title":"JAMA"},{"key":"ref20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"167","DOI":"10.1093\/qjmed\/hcad134","article-title":"Acupuncture and its ability to restore and maintain immune homeostasis","volume":"117","author":"Liu","year":"2023","journal-title":"QJM"},{"key":"ref21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"113","DOI":"10.1016\/j.heares.2013.03.012","article-title":"Insensitivity of the audiogram to carboplatin induced inner hair cell loss in chinchillas","volume":"302","author":"Lobarinas","year":"2013","journal-title":"Hear. Res."},{"key":"ref22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"91","DOI":"10.1016\/j.heares.2017.04.011","article-title":"Early cortical metabolic rearrangement related to clinical data in idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss","volume":"350","author":"Micarelli","year":"2017","journal-title":"Hear. Res."},{"key":"ref23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"6","DOI":"10.1016\/j.neures.2007.01.010","article-title":"A recovery from enhancement of activation in auditory cortex of patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss","volume":"58","author":"Morita","year":"2007","journal-title":"Neurosci. Res."},{"key":"ref24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e39697","DOI":"10.1097\/md.0000000000039697","article-title":"The effect of percutaneous and transcutaneous Baha on hearing and subjective auditory abilities: a comparative study","volume":"103","author":"Mungan Durankaya","year":"2024","journal-title":"Medicine"},{"key":"ref25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e2403245","DOI":"10.1002\/advs.202403245","article-title":"Central role of hypothalamic circuits for acupuncture\u2019s anti-parkinsonian effects","volume":"11","author":"Oh","year":"2024","journal-title":"Adv. Sci."},{"key":"ref26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"342","DOI":"10.1159\/000357474","article-title":"Glucose metabolism in the primary auditory cortex of postlingually deaf patients: an FDG-PET study","volume":"75","author":"Okuda","year":"2013","journal-title":"ORL J. Otorhinolaryngol. Relat. Spec."},{"key":"ref27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"810","DOI":"10.1002\/ana.10599","article-title":"Healthy-side dominance of cortical neuromagnetic responses in sudden hearing loss","volume":"53","author":"Po-Hung Li","year":"2003","journal-title":"Ann. Neurol."},{"key":"ref28","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"101087","DOI":"10.1016\/j.imr.2024.101087","article-title":"The efficacy and safety of acupuncture in the treatment of sudden sensorineural hearing loss: a systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"13","author":"Ren","year":"2024","journal-title":"Integr. Med. Res."},{"key":"ref29","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2008","DOI":"10.1016\/j.clinph.2009.08.016","article-title":"Safety, ethical considerations, and application guidelines for the use of transcranial magnetic stimulation in clinical practice and research","volume":"120","author":"Rossi","year":"2009","journal-title":"Clin. Neurophysiol."},{"key":"ref30","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"29","DOI":"10.5604\/01.3001.0054.5439","article-title":"Contemporary directions in the therapy of sensory hearing loss","volume":"78","author":"Rzepakowska","year":"2024","journal-title":"Otolaryngol. Pol."},{"key":"ref31","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1085","DOI":"10.13201\/j.issn.2096-7993.2024.11.018","article-title":"Research on the prognosis and efficacy criteria of sudden sensorineural hearing loss","volume":"38","author":"Shan","year":"2024","journal-title":"J. Clin. Otorhinolaryngol. Head Neck Surg."},{"key":"ref32","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"418","DOI":"10.3389\/fnins.2020.00418","article-title":"Absence of rhythm benefit on speech in noise recognition in children diagnosed with auditory processing disorder","volume":"14","author":"Sidiras","year":"2020","journal-title":"Front. Neurosci."},{"key":"ref33","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1829","DOI":"10.1097\/00001756-200210070-00029","article-title":"Cortical representation of hearing restoration in patients with sudden deafness","volume":"13","author":"Suzuki","year":"2002","journal-title":"Neuroreport"},{"key":"ref34","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e0137291","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0137291","article-title":"Alterations of regional cerebral blood flow in tinnitus patients as assessed using single-photon emission computed tomography","volume":"10","author":"Ueyama","year":"2015","journal-title":"PLoS One"},{"key":"ref35","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"fcab186","DOI":"10.1093\/braincomms\/fcab186","article-title":"Inaccurate cortical tracking of speech in adults with impaired speech perception in noise","volume":"3","author":"Vander Ghinst","year":"2021","journal-title":"Brain Commun."},{"key":"ref36","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1253438","DOI":"10.3389\/fncel.2023.1253438","article-title":"Application and underlying mechanism of acupuncture for the nerve repair after peripheral nerve injury: remodeling of nerve system","volume":"17","author":"Yang","year":"2023","journal-title":"Front. Cell. Neurosci."},{"key":"ref37","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1222","DOI":"10.1097\/aud.0000000000001186","article-title":"The resting state central auditory network: a potential marker of HIV-related central nervous system alterations","volume":"43","author":"Zhan","year":"2022","journal-title":"Ear Hear."},{"key":"ref38","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"506","DOI":"10.13702\/j.1000-0607.20230220","article-title":"Clinical observation on treatment of Alzheimer\u2019s disease with Sun\u2019s scalp-abdominal acupuncture combined with donepezil hydrochloride","volume":"49","author":"Zhang","year":"2024","journal-title":"Acupunct. Res."},{"key":"ref39","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"5","DOI":"10.1007\/s10548-024-01077-9","article-title":"Modulation of brain activities in healthy individuals by acupuncture at Quchi (Li11)","volume":"38","author":"Zhang","year":"2024","journal-title":"Brain Topogr."},{"key":"ref40","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"9","DOI":"10.3727\/036012908803861186","article-title":"Effect of acupuncture given at the Ht 7, St 36, St 40 and Ki 3 acupoints on various parts of the brains of Alzheimer\u2019s disease patients","volume":"33","author":"Zhou","year":"2008","journal-title":"Acupunct Electrother. Res."}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Neuroscience"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fnins.2025.1593659\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,15]],"date-time":"2025-05-15T05:29:06Z","timestamp":1747286946000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fnins.2025.1593659\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,15]]},"references-count":40,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fnins.2025.1593659"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fnins.2025.1593659","relation":{},"ISSN":["1662-453X"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1662-453X","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,15]]},"article-number":"1593659"}}