Positive psychological effects of seated acupressure massage are associated with a rise in plasma oxytocin without affecting CGRP levels or circulating IL-6.

Florentine Fricker (1) , Marie-Virginie Barbotte (2) , Gaétan Pallot (3) , Nouhaila Radoua (2) , Gabriele Sorci (4) , Marie Heitz (1) , Grégory Brison (5) , Edith Sales-Vuillemin (5) , Jean-Louis Connat (6)

1 UFR de sciences humaines [Université de Bourgogne]
2 UFR SVTE - UFR Sciences de la Vie, de la Terre et de l'Environnement (Université de Bourgogne)
3 LabEx LipSTIC - Laboratoire d'Excellence : Lipoprotéines et Santé : prévention et Traitement des maladies Inflammatoires et du Cancer
4 BGS - Biogéosciences [UMR 6282]
5 PSY-DREPI - Laboratoire de psychologie : dynamiques relationnelles et processus identitaires [Dijon]
6 Equipe CADIR (LNC - U1231)

Work-related stress is a major public health issue. Given the relationship between acute stress responses and health, finding strategies to deal with the unpleasant symptoms brought on by stress is essential. Massage therapy is a popular stress-reduction technique, but its effectiveness has yet to be shown. In that matter, this study investigates the effects of a 17-minute session of seated Amma massage on young healthy people. Subjective stress perception, anxiety and self-confidence were assessed before and after the massage using the Spielberger State Anxiety Scale (STAI-Y, Spielberger et al., 1983) and the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory (EEAC, Cury et al., 1999), together with cardiovascular parameters. Cortisol, CGRP, IL-6, and oxytocin plasma levels were measured before and after the massage to investigate its possible mode of action. This study enrolled 59 people: 33 receiving the massage, and 26 controls only seated on the massage chair.Interaction Time x Group demonstrates significant differences for all psychological measurements (STAI, EEAC) before and after the Amma massage, showing a beneficial effect of this treatment, in particular on perceived anxiety and self-confidence. No evidence was found of any correlation between cortisol plasma levels and psychological outcomes. No relationship was shown between the decrease of perceived stress and measured CGRP or IL-6 release, but the data demonstrated that heart frequency could be slightly decreased. The oxytocin plasma levels were significantly increased by the massage and could be responsible for the recovery of psychological outcomes.We conclude that seated acupressure Amma massage could be a useful tool to ameliorate quality of life at work.

Mots clés: Oxytocin; Amma-massage; CGRP; Cardiovascular; Cortisol; IL-6

Domaines: Endocrinologie et métabolisme; Physiologie [q-bio.TO]; Psychologie et comportements

Florentine Fricker, Marie-Virginie Barbotte, Gaétan Pallot, Nouhaila Radoua, Gabriele Sorci, et al.. Positive psychological effects of seated acupressure massage are associated with a rise in plasma oxytocin without affecting CGRP levels or circulating IL-6.. Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology, 2024, 17, pp.100220. ⟨10.1016/j.cpnec.2023.100220⟩. ⟨hal-04462979⟩