Research allows us to measure things under defined conditions.
What we measure depends on the questions we ask and the methods we use.
A measurement can tell us something about what was observed under those conditions.
It does not explain everything happening in a person, why a change occurred, or what another person will experience.
2023 — Heart-Rate Variability
Our first experimental study examined heart-rate variability and other measurements during a single 10-minute period of rest.
Thirty-six generally healthy adults were randomly assigned to one of three conditions:
- lying prone on Respine4u;
- lying prone on a standard mattress;
- lying supine on a standard mattress.
The study measured heart-rate variability (HRV), heart rate, blood pressure, perceived stress and discomfort.
HRV describes variation in the time between successive heartbeats. Certain HRV measurements are commonly used in research as non-invasive indicators of cardiac parasympathetic, or vagal, activity.
Increased HRV measures associated with cardiac parasympathetic activity were observed in the Respine4u group.
The clearest difference between the experimental and control conditions was observed in pNN50, one of the HRV measures used in the study.
The experiment measured a change.
It did not establish why that change occurred or what that change might mean for an individual's health, symptoms or longer-term experience.
Read the study
Hadas Tawil, Ariel D. Levine, Ronen Tuchfeld, Barak Sekeles, Ronen Mendi, Yori Gidron
Effects of a chiropractic three-dimensional surface on vagal nerve activity and distress: An experimental study.
Journal of Spine Research and Surgery, 2023; 5:76–81.
Respine4u was the product name used when the first study was conducted. The product is now called CogniSpine.
2025 — HRV and Prefrontal Cortical Measurement
In 2025, a second pilot study asked another question.
Would changes also be observed in HRV and in a measurement associated with prefrontal cortical activity during CogniSpine use?
Thirty-five people participated: 17 men and 18 women, aged 20–62.
HRV and an HEG measurement associated with prefrontal cortical activity were recorded using a Biotekna HEG device.
Measurements were taken before and then while participants rested on CogniSpine.
Unlike the 2023 experiment, this pilot did not include a control condition.
Statistically significant increases were reported in both HRV and the HEG measurement associated with prefrontal cortical activity during CogniSpine use compared with the measurements taken before use.
The HRV observation is consistent in direction with the earlier study.
The prefrontal cortical measurement adds another observation.
It does not establish why either change occurred, whether one caused or influenced the other, or what else may have been changing at the same time.
The study also does not establish that these measured changes produce a particular health or clinical outcome.
This was a pilot study.
The findings have not been published in a peer-reviewed paper and are not planned for publication.
Two Studies, Different Questions
The two studies used different designs.
The 2023 study was a randomized experiment with two control conditions.
The 2025 study was a before-and-during pilot without a control condition.
Across both studies, increases in HRV measurements associated with cardiac parasympathetic activity were observed during short periods of CogniSpine use.
The 2025 pilot also observed an increase in an HEG measurement associated with prefrontal cortical activity.
These findings give us measurements to investigate further.
They do not yet tell us why the changes occurred, what other processes may have participated, whether the changes persist, or what happens with repeated or long-term use.
Research Continues
There is much we still do not know.
Future research can ask different questions, use different measurements, include different populations and examine longer periods of use.
As additional CogniSpine research becomes available, we will add it here.