Trial reportScientific reports2023
Changes of cerebral functional connectivity induced by foot reflexology in a RCT.
Trial report in Scientific reports, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04661774 (Specific Effect of Foot Reflexology on Diaphragm Function), which is not on this map. Cited by 6 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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.
The trial behind it
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.
Specific Effect of Foot Reflexology on Diaphragm Function: Comparison Between Different Biomarkers Upon Stimulation of the Reflex Area
Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 7 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effect of foot reflexology on chronic pain in Parkinson's disease: A randomized controlled trial.PloS one · 2025Trial
- Through Massage to the Brain-Neuronal and Neuroplastic Mechanisms of Massage Based on Various Neuroimaging Techniques (EEG, fMRI, and fNIRS).Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Review
- Foot reflexology in autoimmune diseases: Effectiveness and mechanisms.World journal of clinical cases · 2025Article
- Is it possible to foot reflexology for infants with sensorineural hearing loss?World journal of clinical cases · 2025Article
- Neuro-functional correlates of personality dimensions in Parkinson's disease.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2025Article
- Exploring the Efficacy of Plantar Reflexology as a Complementary Approach for Headache Management: A Comprehensive Review.International journal of therapeutic massage & bodywork · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Non-Pharmacological Interventions (NPIs) are increasingly being introduced into healthcare, but their mechanisms are unclear. In this study, 30 healthy participants received foot reflexology (FR) and sham massage, and went through a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) to evaluate NPIs effect on brain. Rs-fMRI revealed an effect of both NPIs on functional connectivity with changes occurring in the default-mode network, the sensorimotor network and a Neural Network Correlates of Pain (NNCP-a newly discovered network showing great robustness). Even if no differences were found between FR and SM, this study allowed to report brain biomarkers of well-being as well as the safety of NPIs. In further research, it could be relevant to study it in patients to look for a true reflexology induced-effect dependent of patient reported outcomes. Overall, these findings enrich the understanding of the neural correlates of well-being experienced with NPIs and provided insight into the basis of the mechanisms of NPIs.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.