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

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 H 2 15O. Biochemical tests showed that the light massage (palm-pressur...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Neuroscience letters 2006-10, Vol.407 (2), p.131-135
Main Authors: Ouchi, Yasuomi, Kanno, Toshihiko, Okada, Hiroyuki, Yoshikawa, Etsuji, Shinke, Tomomi, Nagasawa, Shingo, Minoda, Keiji, Doi, Hiroyuki
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Autonomic Nervous System - physiopathology
Biological and medical sciences
Brain - diagnostic imaging
Cerebral blood flow
Cerebrovascular Circulation - physiology
Female
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Heart Rate - physiology
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Massage
Neurotransmitter Agents - physiology
Palm-pressure massage
Positron emission tomography
Precuneus
Prone Position - physiology
Prone posture
Supine Position - physiology
Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary: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 H 2 15O. 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.
ISSN:0304-3940
1872-7972
DOI:10.1016/j.neulet.2006.08.037