Dear Friend of the Neural Pathways of Applied Reflexology Fund,
On behalf of the entire research team, thank you. Your generosity has funded findings further than many of us imagined when we began.
With your support, we have now completed four rounds of brain scanning, studying both healthy participants and stroke patients. Included is data analysis.
The findings have been remarkable, and preliminary results have not stayed in the lab. Our results were presented by lead investigator Dr Stefan Posse (UNM Department of Neurology) at the annual meeting of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM) in Singapore and in Cape Town, South Africa, a gathering that draw an audience of 6,000 to 8,000 neuroscientists, imaging specialists, and clinicians from around the world. |
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For a field that has long been asked "but what happens in the brain?", this is an important step. You helped put reflexology research in front of the scientific community that is best equipped to evaluate it.
The work is not finished. Ahead of us are the careful, time-consuming stages of final data analysis and the costs of peer-reviewed publication, which is how these findings become part of the permanent scientific record.
Your continued support with an additional donation at this stage is deeply appreciated. It will help ensure that what we have learned is fully analyzed and shared.
Thank you for believing in this research and for standing with us. With gratitude,
The Research Team Neural Pathways of Applied Reflexology |
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Kara Kinney and the team at the UNM Foundation are happy to provide additional information about the fund and help identify the best way for you to support it. Kara may be reached at (505) 313-7664 or by email at Kara.Kinney@unmfund.org. |
Below is a post by Dr. Stefan Posse, lead investigator that was placed on Facebook on June 15th, 2026. Since that time, it has received over 325,000 views.
Brain Scan Research Confirms Reflexology Affects Multiple Areas of the Brain
Dr. Stefan Posse, a researcher at the University of New Mexico, presented groundbreaking functional MRI (fMRI) findings on the “Neural Pathways of Applied Reflexology” at the International Society for Medical Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM) Annual Meeting in Cape Town on May 12, 2026.
The research maps brain activity during foot reflexology to understand what happens in the brain in real time while reflexology was being applied and neurological impact in patients with stroke. Advanced MRI technology was used.
What They Found in Healthy People
Scans revealed distinctly different activation patterns for different reflex areas. Importantly, the brain responses weren’t limited to just the foot area of the brain — multiple regions were activated. One area that consistently responded was the supramarginal gyrus, a part of the brain packed with “mirror neurons,” which are linked to empathy, learning, and body awareness.
For the first time showed reflexology technique applied to different reflexology reflex areas activates different areas and networks of the brain in healthy controls and stroke patients. |
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What They Found in Stroke Patients
In people who had suffered a stroke, the brain activation looked different — more one-sided — and varied depending on whether the left or right foot was worked. Following the application of reflex stimuli, patients demonstrated increased two-point discrimination and improved sensorimotor function in their hemiplegic hands.
Who Is Behind the Research
The team is led by Dr. Posse and includes well-known reflexology educators Barbara and Kevin Kunz, graduate student Arthur Schoen, and researchers from the University of Minnesota.
What Comes Next
The team is now expanding the study to better understand the timing of brain responses during reflexology and to identify exactly which brain networks are involved in stroke recovery.
In short: this research is building scientific evidence that reflexology creates specific, measurable responses in the brain — and may play a meaningful role in stroke rehabilitation. |
School of Medicine • The University of New Mexico |
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