Elsevier

Neuroscience Letters

Volume 407, Issue 2, 23 October 2006, Pages 131-135
Neuroscience Letters

Changes in cerebral blood flow under the prone condition with and without massage

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neulet.2006.08.037Get rights and content

Abstract

To investigate changes in regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) under the prone condition with and without light massage on the back, we measured rCBF quantitatively in healthy human subjects using positron emission tomography with H215O. Biochemical tests showed that the light massage (palm-pressure) reduced levels of stress-related serum cortisol and salivary stress protein chromogranin-A measured after the PET examination. Absolute rCBF significantly increased in the parietal cortex (precuneus) under the prone condition compared with the supine condition, and this rCBF increase was in parallel with comfortable sensation and slowing heart rate during the massage. Correlation analysis in statistical parametric mapping showed that the amygdalar and basal forebrain rCBF correlated with parasympathetic function (heart rate reduction), indicating involvement of the forebrain-amygdala system in mediating activities in the autonomic nervous system in the presence of comfortable sensation. To conclude, prone posture itself can stimulate the precuneus region to raise awareness, and the light massage on the back may help accommodate the brain to comfortable stimulation.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Mr. Kenji Suzuki, Mrs. Dari Terashima, Hitomi Kimura (Balance Therapy University), Mr. Yutaka Naito (Nippon Environment Research KK), and the staff of the Positron Medical Center (Hamamatsu Medical Center) for their technical support. This study was supported by research grant from the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare, Tokyo.

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