{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,13]],"date-time":"2026-10-13T16:16:10Z","timestamp":1791908170766,"version":"4.3.4"},"reference-count":63,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,8]],"date-time":"2026-09-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1788825600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Physiol."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Physiological responses after cognitive load may differ across cardiovascular measures and electrodermal activity (EDA).<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This controlled exploratory pilot study compared heart-rate and phase-averaged mean skin-conductance responses during a 15-min post-task period conducted under two conditions: classical back massage and passive prone rest. After eligibility verification and physiological signal-quality inspection, the final analytical sample included 48 participants: 24 in the classical massage condition and 24 in the passive rest condition. Recordings were segmented into a 5-min baseline, the cognitive task, and three non-overlapping 5-min post-task windows. Heart rate and phase-averaged mean skin conductance were analyzed using mixed-design repeated-measures analyses of variance (ANOVA), with baseline-adjusted values reported descriptively and non-parametric analyses used as supplementary robustness checks.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>During the post-task period, the massage group showed a lower heart rate than the passive-rest group across all recovery windows, whereas mean skin conductance remained elevated and was higher during the later windows.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Discussion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>These divergent trajectories suggest that cardiovascular and electrodermal measures capture different components of the post-load response and should not be treated as interchangeable indicators of autonomic recovery. The findings provide a basis for confirmatory studies using randomized allocation and active tactile controls, but remain hypothesis-generating because the design did not isolate somatosensory input, interpersonal contact, expectation, posture, or spontaneous recovery.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fphys.2026.1917630","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,8]],"date-time":"2026-09-08T04:26:39Z","timestamp":1788841599000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Classical back massage is associated with lower heart rate and sustained mean skin conductance during recovery after cognitive load: an exploratory controlled pilot study"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Maciej","family":"Lachowicz","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Fundamentals of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy, Wroclaw University of Health and Sport Sciences","place":["Wroc\u0142aw, Poland"]},{"name":"Institute of Health Studies, University of Lower Silesia","place":["Wroc\u0142aw, Poland"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Iwona","family":"Wilk","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Fundamentals of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy, Wroclaw University of Health and Sport Sciences","place":["Wroc\u0142aw, Poland"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Igor","family":"Hrehorowicz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Fundamentals of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy, Wroclaw University of Health and Sport Sciences","place":["Wroc\u0142aw, Poland"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Szymon","family":"Ba\u0142amucki","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Fundamentals of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy, Wroclaw University of Health and Sport Sciences","place":["Wroc\u0142aw, Poland"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Micha\u0142","family":"Lisowski","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Fundamentals of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy, Wroclaw University of Health and Sport Sciences","place":["Wroc\u0142aw, Poland"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Dariusz","family":"Jamro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Physical Education and Sport, General Tadeusz Kosciuszko Military University of Land Forces","place":["Wroc\u0142aw, Poland"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Grzegorz","family":"\u017burek","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biological Principles of Physical Activity, Wroclaw University of Health and Sport Sciences","place":["Wroc\u0142aw, Poland"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Waldemar","family":"Andrzejewski","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Fundamentals of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy, Wroclaw University of Health and Sport Sciences","place":["Wroc\u0142aw, Poland"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,8]]},"reference":[{"key":"B60","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fnbeh.2014.00034","article-title":"Quantifying the sensory and emotional perception of touch: Differences between glabrous and hairy skin","volume":"8","author":"Ackerley","year":"2014","journal-title":"Front. 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