ArticleJournal of clinical medicine2022
Gentle Touch Therapy, Pain Relief and Neuroplasticity at Baseline in Fibromyalgia Syndrome: A Randomized, Multicenter Trial with Six-Month Follow-Up.
Article in Journal of clinical medicine, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 7 citations in OpenAlex.
- Beyond the Pain: Rethinking Chronic Pain Management Through Integrated Therapeutic Approaches-A Systematic Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Pooled it
- Touch-based interventions, biofield therapies, and hypnosis for pain management: a scoping review of complementary approaches in physiotherapy.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2026Pooled it
- Brain-derived neurotrophic factor in fibromyalgia: A systematic review and meta-analysis of its role as a potential biomarker.PloS one · 2023Pooled it
- Nitric Oxide, Oxidative Stress and Endothelial Dysfunction in Migraine: Recent Advances and Molecular Mechanisms.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- The Effect of Intravenous Lidocaine Treatment on Sleep and Quality of Life in Fibromyalgia: An Observational Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- Human-Delivered Brushstroke Characterization using an Instrumented Brush Focused on Torque.World Haptics Conference. World Haptics Conference · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
20 authors at 6 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundFibromyalgia (FM) is considered a stress-related disorder characterized mainly by chronic widespread pain. Its pathogenesis is unknown, but cumulative evidence points at dysfunctional transmitter systems and inflammatory biomarkers that may underlie the major symptoms of the condition. This study aimed to evaluate pain scores (primary outcome), quality of life, inflammatory biomarkers and neurotransmitter systems in women with FM (secondary outcomes) subjected to gentle touch therapy (GTT) or placebo.
methodsA total of 64 female patients with FM were randomly assigned to two groups, namely GTT (n = 32) or Placebo (n = 32). Clinical assessments were conducted at baseline and post-intervention with six-month follow-up. We measured serum catecholamines (dopamine), indolamines and intermediary metabolites (serotonin or 5-hydroxyindolacetic acid (5-HIAA)), as well as tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4), which is a cofactor for the synthesis of neurotransmitters and inflammatory biomarkers in women with FM. A group of healthy individuals with no intervention (control group) was used to compare biochemical measurements. Intervention effects were analyzed using repeated measures (RM) two-way ANOVA followed by Bonferroni post hoc test and mixed ANCOVA model with intention to treat.
resultsCompared to placebo, the GTT group presented lower pain scores and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels without altering the quality of life of women with FM. Changes in BDNF had a mediating role in pain. Higher baseline serum BDNF and 5-HIAA or those with a history of anxiety disorder showed a higher reduction in pain scores across time. However, women with higher serum dopamine levels at baseline showed a lower effect of the intervention across the observation period revealed by an ANCOVA mixed model.
conclusionsIn conclusion, lower pain scores were observed in the GTT group compared to the placebo group without altering the quality of life in women with FM. Reductions in BDNF levels could be a mechanism of FM pain status improvement. In this sense, the present study encourages the use of these GTT techniques as an integrative and complementary treatment of FM.
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