A team of researchers, including researchers from Japan, plans to start a clinical study later this month to study whether transmitting vibrations to the skin through a face mask device can improve people’s mental health.
Japanese Kyodo News reported that researchers from Nagoya University and the London Trusted Therapy Education and Research Company are seeking to develop a non-pharmacological, non-surgical approach to mental health care.
Their joint clinical study at a medical institution in London will include about 30 people with conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and depression.
Participants will wear a plastic face mask device twice a day for 10 to 20 minutes each time, and any changes in their symptoms and sleep quality will be recorded.
Inaudible low-frequency sounds from natural environments, such as forests and beaches, as well as classical music, will be transmitted to the brain as vibrations in the study.
A joint study conducted by Nagoya University and Akita University showed that 35 elderly individuals with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia showed improvement in cognitive functions, such as memory, after a month of treatment using low-frequency sounds with micro-vibrations.