Massage: Neuroimaging and Correlates of Response - 1-week Study

Summary

This study will compare the effects (good or bad) of Swedish massage or light touch therapy on your brain activity, physical responses (like heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate), and mood and stress. This is a randomized research study. "Randomized" means that participants will be assigned to a study group by chance, like flipping a coin. Participants will be randomized into one of two study groups, and will have an equal chance of being placed in one of the groups: - A single session of Swedish massage therapy - A single session of Light touch therapy At the study visit, the study staff ask about life stressors, medical health, medicine use, and illicit substance use over the past week. The study uses magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as well as functional MRI (fMRI) to look at the structure and activation of the brain. Participants will undergo two brain scanning sessions, one immediately before and one immediately after the Swedish massage or light touch therapy. The scans will last approximately 45 minutes. During the brain scanning sessions, information on heart rate, blood pressure, temperature and breathing will also be collected.

Conditions

• Healthy Participants

Interventions

OTHER

Swedish Massage Therapy

The therapist uses non-aromatic cream to facilitate making long strokes over the body. Swedish massage is done with the subject covered by a sheet, a technique called "draping." One part of the body is uncovered, massaged, and then re-draped before moving to another part. The primary techniques used in the research protocol therapy are effleurage, petrissage, kneading, tapotement and thumb friction. These techniques are performed in a very precise, carefully elaborated manner. The session starts with the subject fully draped in a prone position on the massage table and after approximately 22 minutes the subject is instructed to turn to the supine position. Finally, the therapist moves to the head area of the subject, begins working on the shoulders, neck and head using effleurage and thumb friction, and concludes by using light tapotement on the head. The total time for the entire massage is 45 minutes. Subjects randomized to SMT will undergo a single session.

OTHER

Light Touch Control

The Light Touch Control protocol entails the same duration and sequence of procedures as the massage protocol, except that the therapist employs only light-touch hand placement on the subject's body. This condition isolates the effect of the mechanical intervention of SMT. Subjects randomized to LT will undergo a single session.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Utah

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Mark Rapaport, MD · Utah, University of

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

OTHER

Masking

DOUBLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

64 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2024-04-24

Primary Completion

2026-02-28

Completion

2026-03-31

Countries

• United States

Study Locations