Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA.
University of Oklahoma, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA.
Hum Brain Mapp. 2021 Jul;42(10):3216-3227. doi: 10.1002/hbm.25429. Epub 2021 Apr 9.
Floatation-Reduced Environmental Stimulation Therapy (REST) is a procedure that reduces stimulation of the human nervous system by minimizing sensory signals from visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory, thermal, tactile, vestibular, gravitational, and proprioceptive channels, in addition to minimizing musculoskeletal movement and speech. Initial research has found that Floatation-REST can elicit short-term reductions in anxiety, depression, and pain, yet little is known about the brain networks impacted by the intervention. This study represents the first functional neuroimaging investigation of Floatation-REST, and we utilized a data-driven exploratory analysis to determine whether the intervention leads to altered patterns of resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC). Healthy participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) before and after 90 min of Floatation-REST or a control condition that entailed resting supine in a zero-gravity chair for an equivalent amount of time. Multivariate Distance Matrix Regression (MDMR), a statistically-stringent whole-brain searchlight approach, guided subsequent seed-based connectivity analyses of the resting-state fMRI data. MDMR identified peak clusters of rsFC change between the pre- and post-float fMRI, revealing significant decreases in rsFC both within and between posterior hubs of the default-mode network (DMN) and a large swath of cortical tissue encompassing the primary and secondary somatomotor cortices extending into the posterior insula. The control condition, an active form of REST, showed a similar pattern of reduced rsFC. Thus, reduced stimulation of the nervous system appears to be reflected by reduced rsFC within the brain networks most responsible for creating and mapping our sense of self.
漂浮减压环境刺激疗法（REST）是一种通过最大限度地减少视觉、听觉、嗅觉、味觉、热觉、触觉、前庭觉、重力觉和本体感觉通道的感觉信号，以及最大限度地减少肌肉骨骼运动和言语，来减少人体神经系统刺激的程序。初步研究发现，漂浮-REST 可以在短期内减轻焦虑、抑郁和疼痛，但对该干预措施影响的大脑网络知之甚少。本研究代表了对漂浮-REST 的首次功能神经影像学研究，我们利用数据驱动的探索性分析来确定该干预措施是否会导致静息态功能连接（rsFC）模式发生改变。健康参与者在接受 90 分钟的漂浮-REST 或控制条件（即零重力椅上的仰卧休息，时间相等）前后接受功能磁共振成像（fMRI）检查。多元距离矩阵回归（MDMR），一种统计上严格的全脑搜索灯方法，指导了随后基于种子的静息态 fMRI 数据的连通性分析。MDMR 确定了预浮和后浮 fMRI 之间 rsFC 变化的峰值簇，显示默认模式网络（DMN）的后叶中枢内和中枢间的 rsFC 显著降低，以及包括初级和次级体感皮层在内的大片皮质组织的 rsFC 降低，延伸到后岛。对照条件，一种主动的 REST 形式，显示出相似的 rsFC 降低模式。因此，神经系统刺激的减少似乎反映在负责创建和映射自我意识的大脑网络内的 rsFC 减少。
