Effect of whole-body vibration on mood, nervous system, and brain in the elderly (implications for COVID-19 pandemic)

{The beneficial effect of whole-body vibration on fitness seems to be well-established in the literature, while its influence on the psyche is still under investigation. Therapeutic vibrations can be generated in several ways, for example: manually (by a physiotherapist) or by mechanical wave, including a sound wave. Editorial note} The aim of Japanese scientists from the University of Tsukuba was to analyze the impact of sonic wave vibration (SWV) on mood, autonomic nervous system and cognitive functions in the elderly.

After 8 weeks of SWV vibrotherapy, the following was observed:

• an increase in mood stability and feeling pleasure
• an increase in the parasympathetic (inhibitory) activity of the autonomic nervous system components and a decrease in the activity of the sympathetic (excitatory) component
• an increase in resting energy expenditure
• significant reduction in the execution time of the Stroop Test, indicating an improvement in cognitive functions
• NIRS imaging showed increased activation of frontal lobes during the Stroop Test.

Prepared on the basis of:

The effect of whole body vibration by sonic waves on mood, the autonomic nervous system, and brain function in elderly. Choi W, Mizukami K. Nihon Ronen Igakkai Zasshi. 2020;57(4):441-449.

Study population

24 men aged 88.0 ± 5.0 were randomly assigned to the SWV vibrotherapy group or to the control group (without vibrotherapy).

Test procedure

Mood, heart rate variability and resting energy expenditure were analysed among others. Also brain activation during the Stroop Test using near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). {The Stroop Test can be used to test working memory or attention span, allowing for the assessment of the frontal lobes functioning [Alvarez and Emory, 2006]; editorial note https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16794878/.}

Use of vibration in the study

SWV were generated using a SONIX VM15 device (Sonic World Co., Ltd. KOREA). Subjects received vibrations to the whole body while standing. The vibrations were given for 10 minutes a day (or 2 x 5 minutes with a short break), 5 days a week, for 8 consecutive weeks.

Results

Immediately following SWV therapy, the level of mood stability and perceived pleasure increased significantly. At the same time, the activity of the parasympathetic component of the nervous system increased and the activity of the sympathetic component decreased. The energy expenditure at rest was also increased. The Stroop Test time was significantly reduced, indicating an improvement in cognitive functioning, and NIRS imaging showed increased activation of the frontal lobes during this test.

Comment

It has already been shown that exercise has a beneficial effect on maintaining and improving fitness, as well as having a positive effect on mood and stress. In the elderly, a significant cause of health deterioration is the lack of implementation of an appropriate exercise program. Moreover, the elderly often do not have the habit of exercising. In Japan, it is recommended for elderly to exercise 40 minutes daily. However, often the cause of inactivity in people over the age of 70 is health problems. Therefore, it seems necessary to develop an exercise program that can be suited for the elderly. One type of exercise is passive exercise in the form of whole-body vibration, which has attracted the attention of physiotherapists since the first space flights in the 1960s. Vibrotherapy was then introduced as a method to accelerate the regeneration of the lost muscle strength and the lost muscle and bone mass of the Soviet cosmonaut returning from space.

The beneficial effect of whole-body vibration on fitness seems to be well-established in the literature, while the influence of vibration exercises on the psyche is still being investigated. The results obtained in the presented report suggest that SWV vibrotherapy has a relaxing effect and also increases energy expenditure in the elderly. In addition, post-intervention improvements in information processing speed with the Stroop Test were observed, and NIRS imaging revealed that SWV can activate frontal and prefrontal cortex functions, so cognitive functions.

Whole-body vibration, performed here as SWV, having a positive effect on mood, the autonomic nervous system and cognitive functions, may therefore be a useful form of “cognitive” rehabilitation in the elderly.

{Recently, in the COVID-19 pandemic era, the ability to independently perform vibration exercises by elderly, which is ensured by home automated vibrating devices, is gaining special attention. In the light of the presented report, self-administered vibrotherapy may be used to improve the condition and mood of the elderly who are weaker, unable to visit physiotherapists or just leave their place of residence. Global lockdowns introduced from time to time by the governments of almost all countries gain effect in the deterioration of physical but also mental condition in those people. But not only. Recently the attention in this context is also paid to others, like students.

Since vibrotherapy, as shown by scientific research, can improve mood and physical condition, being at the same time a safe form of physical exercise even for the elderly (and even for intensive care patients [Wollersheim et al., 2017]), and can be delivered by specially designed medical devices for home use, it must be immediately advised to authorities who recommend official therapeutic programs, that vibrotherapy is ready – safe, available and easy to use. Editorial note.}

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