%0 Journal Article
%T Effect of Hand and Foot Massage Therapy on Psychological Factors and EEG Activity in Elderly People Requiring Long-Term Care: A Randomized Cross-Over Study
%A Hideki Nakano
%A Ikuko Mori
%A Shin Murata
%A Takayuki Kodama
%A Tomiko Tani
%A Tomohiro Ueda
%J Brain Sciences | An Open Access Journal from MDPI
%D 2019
%R https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci9030054
%X Massage therapy is widely used as a complementary therapy in the elderly. Here, we investigate the effect of hand and foot massage therapy on psychological factors and electroencephalographic (EEG) activity in elderly people requiring long-term care. We included 12 elderly people requiring long-term care, who were randomly divided into two groups (A and B). Group A received hand massage and group B received foot massage, both for 15 min each. After 1 week, group A received foot massage and group B received hand massage, both for 15 min each. We assessed emotions and mood states with a Likert scale after each massage and resting-state EEG activity was measured before and after each massage. Our results showed that both hand and foot massage led to a high degree of pleasant, relaxed, and refreshed feelings. Moreover, resting-state alpha activity significantly increased in the left insular cortex after hand massage ( p < 0.05), and in the right and left posterior cingulate cortex after foot massage ( p < 0.05). This study suggests that hand and foot massage therapy modulate psychological factors and EEG activity in elderly people requiring long-term care. View Full-Tex
%U https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/9/3/54