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Stamp GE, Wadley AL, Iacovides S. Could Relationship-Based Learnt Beliefs and Expectations Contribute to Physiological Vulnerability of Chronic Pain? Making a Case to Consider Attachment in Pain Research. THE JOURNAL OF PAIN 2024:104619. [PMID: 38945383 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpain.2024.104619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2023] [Revised: 04/10/2024] [Accepted: 06/22/2024] [Indexed: 07/02/2024]
Abstract
Pain is an interpersonal and inherently social experience. Pain perception and administration of medical treatment all occur in a particular environmental and social context. Early environmental influences and early learning experiences and interactions condition the body's response to different threats (like pain), ultimately shaping the underlying neurophysiology. These early interactions and experiences also determine what situations are perceived as threatening, as well as our belief in our own ability to self-manage, and our belief in others to offer support, during perceived threats. These beliefs intrinsically drive the combination of behaviors that emerge in response to perceived threats, including pain. Such behaviors can be categorized into attachment styles. In this interdisciplinary review, we synthesize and summarize evidence from the neurobiological, psychobiological, psychosocial, and psychobehavioral fields, to describe how these beliefs are embedded in the brain's prediction models to generate a series of expectations/perceptions around the level of safety/threat in different contexts. As such, these beliefs may predict how one experiences and responds to pain, with potentially significant implications for the development and management of chronic pain. Little attention has been directed to the effect of adult attachment style on pain in research studies and in the clinical setting. Using interdisciplinary evidence, we argue why we think this interaction merits further consideration and research. PERSPECTIVE: This review explores the influence of attachment styles on pain perception, suggesting a link between social connections and chronic pain development. It aligns with recent calls to emphasize the social context in pain research and advocates for increased focus on adult attachment styles in research and clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriella Elisabeth Stamp
- Brain Function Research Group, School of Physiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
| | - Antonia Louise Wadley
- Brain Function Research Group, School of Physiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Stella Iacovides
- Brain Function Research Group, School of Physiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
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2
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van Lennep JHPA, van Middendorp H, Veldhuijzen DS, Peerdeman KJ, Blythe JS, Thomaidou MA, Heyman T, Evers AWM. The Optimal Learning Cocktail for Placebo Analgesia: A Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Individual and Combined Techniques. THE JOURNAL OF PAIN 2023; 24:2240-2256. [PMID: 37468025 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpain.2023.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Revised: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/21/2023]
Abstract
This study investigated for the first time the effects of individual and combined application of 3 learning techniques (verbal suggestions, classical conditioning, and observational learning) on placebo analgesia and extinction. Healthy participants (N = 206) were assigned to 8 different groups in which they were taught through either a verbal suggestion, a conditioning paradigm, a video observing someone, or any combination thereof that a placebo device (inactive transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation [TENS]) was capable of alleviating heat pain, whereas one group did not (control). Placebo analgesia was quantified as the within-group difference in experienced pain when the placebo device was (sham) 'activated' or 'inactivated' during equal pain stimuli, and compared between groups. Placebo analgesia was induced in groups with 2 or 3 learning techniques. Significantly stronger placebo analgesia was induced in the combination of all 3 learning techniques as compared to the individual learning techniques or control condition, underlining the additional contribution of 3 combined techniques. Extinction did not differ between groups. Furthermore, pain expectancies, but not state anxiety or trust, mediated placebo analgesia. Our findings emphasize the added value of combining 3 learning techniques to optimally shape expectancies that lead to placebo analgesia, which can be used in experimental and clinical settings. PERSPECTIVE: This unique experimental study compared the individual versus combined effects of 3 important ways of learning (verbal suggestions, classical conditioning, and observational learning) on expectation-based pain relief. The findings indicate that placebo effects occurring in clinical practice could be optimally strengthened if healthcare providers apply these techniques in combination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johan Hans P A van Lennep
- Health, Medical and Neuropsychology Unit, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands; Department of Anesthesiology, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Henriët van Middendorp
- Health, Medical and Neuropsychology Unit, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Dieuwke S Veldhuijzen
- Health, Medical and Neuropsychology Unit, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Kaya J Peerdeman
- Health, Medical and Neuropsychology Unit, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Joseph S Blythe
- Health, Medical and Neuropsychology Unit, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Mia A Thomaidou
- Health, Medical and Neuropsychology Unit, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Tom Heyman
- Department of Methodology and Statistics, Faculty of Social Sciences, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Andrea W M Evers
- Health, Medical and Neuropsychology Unit, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, the Netherlands; Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands; Medical Delta, Leiden University, Technical University Delft, and Erasmus University, the Netherlands
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3
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Wanger TJ, de Moura FB, Ashare R, Loughead J, Lukas S, Lerman C, Janes AC. Brain and cortisol responses to smoking cues are linked in tobacco-smoking individuals. Addict Biol 2023; 28:e13338. [PMID: 38017638 DOI: 10.1111/adb.13338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Revised: 08/30/2023] [Accepted: 09/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/30/2023]
Abstract
Cues associated with smoking can induce relapse, which is likely driven by cue-induced neurobiological and physiological mechanisms. For instance, greater relapse vulnerability is associated with increases in cue-induced insula activation and heightened cortisol concentrations. Determining if there is a link between such cue-induced responses is critical given the need for biomarkers that can be easily measured in clinical settings and used to drive targeted treatment. Further, comprehensively characterising biological reactions to cues promises to aid in the development of therapies that address this specific relapse risk factor. To determine whether brain and cortisol responses to smoking cues are linked, this study recruited 27 nicotine-dependent tobacco-smoking individuals and acquired whole-brain functional activation during a cue reactivity task; salivary cortisol was measured before and after scanning. The results showed that increases in blood-oxygen-level-dependent activation in the right anterior insula and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) when viewing smoking versus neutral cues were positively correlated with a post-scan rise in salivary cortisol concentrations. These brain regions have been previously implicated in substance use disorders for their role in salience, interoception and executive processes. These findings show that those who have a rise in cortisol following smoking cue exposure also have a related rise in cue-induced brain reactivity, in brain regions previously linked with heightened relapse vulnerability. This is clinically relevant as measuring cue-induced cortisol responses is a more accessible proxy for assessing the engagement of cue-induced neurobiological processes associated with the maintenance of nicotine dependence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy J Wanger
- McLean Imaging Center, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Fernando B de Moura
- McLean Imaging Center, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Rebecca Ashare
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, USA
| | - James Loughead
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Scott Lukas
- McLean Imaging Center, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Caryn Lerman
- Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Amy C Janes
- Neuroimaging Research Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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4
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Norena AJ. The Analogy between Tinnitus and Chronic Pain: A Phenomenological Approach. Brain Sci 2023; 13:1129. [PMID: 37626486 PMCID: PMC10452332 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13081129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2023] [Revised: 07/22/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Tinnitus is an auditory sensation without external acoustic stimulation or significance, which may be lived as an unpleasant experience and impact the subject's quality of life. Tinnitus loudness, which is generally low, bears no relation to distress. Factors other than psychoacoustic (such as psychological factors) are therefore implicated in the way tinnitus is experienced. The aim of this article is to attempt to understand how tinnitus can, like chronic pain, generate a 'crisis' in the process of existence, which may go as far as the collapse of the subject. The main idea put forward in the present article is that tinnitus may be compared to the phenomenon of pain from the point of view of the way it is experienced. Although the analogy between tinnitus and pain has often been made in the literature, it has been limited to a parallel concerning putative physiopathological mechanisms and has never really been explored in depth from the phenomenological point of view. Tinnitus is comparable to pain inasmuch as it is felt, not perceived: it springs up (without intention or exploration), abolishes the distance between the subject and the sensation (there is only a subject and no object), and has nothing to say about the world. Like pain, tinnitus is formless and abnormal and can alter the normal order of the world with maximum intensity. Finally, tinnitus and pain enclose the subject within the limits of the body, which then becomes in excess. Tinnitus may be a source of suffering, which affects not only the body but a person's very existence and, in particular, its deployment in time. Plans are thus abolished, so time is no longer 'secreted', it is enclosed in an eternal present. If the crisis triggered by tinnitus is not resolved, the subject may buckle and collapse (depression) when their resources for resisting are depleted. The path may be long and winding from the moment when tinnitus emerges to when it assaults existence and its eventual integration into a new existential norm where tinnitus is no longer a source of disturbance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arnaud J Norena
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Sensorielles et Cognitives, CNRS, Aix-Marseille University, 13003 Marseille, France
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5
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Crawford LS, Meylakh N, Macey PM, Macefield VG, Keay KA, Henderson LA. Stimulus-independent and stimulus-dependent neural networks underpin placebo analgesia responsiveness in humans. Commun Biol 2023; 6:569. [PMID: 37244947 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04951-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The neural circuits that regulate placebo analgesia responsivity are unknown, although engagement of brainstem pain modulatory regions is likely critical. Here we show in 47 participants that differences are present in neural circuit connectivity's in placebo responders versus non-responders. We distinguish stimulus-independent and stimulus-dependent neural networks that display altered connections between the hypothalamus, anterior cingulate cortex and midbrain periaqueductal gray matter. This dual regulatory system underpins an individual's ability to mount placebo analgesia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lewis S Crawford
- School of Medical Sciences (Neuroscience), Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
| | - Noemi Meylakh
- School of Medical Sciences (Neuroscience), Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
| | - Paul M Macey
- UCLA School of Nursing, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Vaughan G Macefield
- Department of Neuroscience, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Kevin A Keay
- School of Medical Sciences (Neuroscience), Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
| | - Luke A Henderson
- School of Medical Sciences (Neuroscience), Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia.
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6
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Hohenschurz-Schmidt D, Draper-Rodi J, Vase L, Scott W, McGregor A, Soliman N, MacMillan A, Olivier A, Cherian CA, Corcoran D, Abbey H, Freigang S, Chan J, Phalip J, Sørensen LN, Delafin M, Baptista M, Medforth NR, Ruffini N, Andresen SS, Ytier S, Ali D, Hobday H, Ngurah Agung Adhiyoga Santosa AA, Vollert J, Rice AS. Blinding and sham control methods in trials of physical, psychological, and self-management interventions for pain (article II): a meta-analysis relating methods to trial results. Pain 2023; 164:509-533. [PMID: 36271798 PMCID: PMC9916063 DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2021] [Revised: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 06/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT Sham interventions in randomized clinical trials (RCTs) of physical, psychological, and self-management (PPS) therapies for pain are highly variable in design and believed to contribute to poor internal validity. However, it has not been formally tested whether the extent to which sham controls resemble the treatment under investigation consistently affects trial outcomes, such as effect sizes, differential attrition, participant expectancy, and blinding effectiveness. Placebo- or sham-controlled RCTs of PPS interventions of clinical pain populations were searched in 12 databases. The similarity of control interventions to the experimental treatment was rated across 25 features. Meta-regression analyses assessed putative links between employed control interventions, observed effect sizes in pain-related outcomes, attrition, and blinding success. The sample included 198 unique control interventions, dominated by manual therapy and chronic musculoskeletal pain research. Meta-analyses indicated small-to-moderate benefits of active treatments over control interventions, across subgroups of manual therapies, exercise, and rehabilitation, and psychological intervention trials. Multiple meta-regression modelling demonstrated that similarity between sham control and tested interventions predicted variability in pain-related outcomes, attrition, and blinding effectiveness. Influential variables were differences relating to the extent of intervention exposure, participant experience, and treatment environments. The results support the supposed link between blinding methods and effect sizes, based on a large and systematically sourced overview of methods. However, challenges to effective blinding are complex and often difficult to discern from trial reports. Nonetheless, these insights have the potential to change trial design, conduct, and reporting and will inform guideline development.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Hohenschurz-Schmidt
- Pain Research, Department Surgery & Cancer, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jerry Draper-Rodi
- Research Centre, University College of Osteopathy, London, United Kingdom
| | - Lene Vase
- Department of Psychology and Behavioural Sciences, Section for Psychology and Neuroscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Whitney Scott
- Health Psychology Section, Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
- INPUT Pain Management Unit, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom
| | - Alison McGregor
- Human Performance Group, Department Surgery & Cancer, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom
| | - Nadia Soliman
- Pain Research, Department Surgery & Cancer, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew MacMillan
- Research Centre, University College of Osteopathy, London, United Kingdom
| | - Axel Olivier
- Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Cybill Ann Cherian
- Chemical Engineering Department, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | | | - Hilary Abbey
- Research Centre, University College of Osteopathy, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sascha Freigang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Medical University Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Jessica Chan
- Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Lea Nørgaard Sørensen
- Department of Occupational Medicine, Danish Ramazzini Centre, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Maite Delafin
- The Penn Clinic, Hertfordshire, Hatfield, United Kingdom
| | - Margarida Baptista
- Wolfson Centre for Age Related Diseases, Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Nuria Ruffini
- National Centre Germany, Foundation C.O.M.E. Collaboration, Berlin, Germany
| | | | | | - Dorota Ali
- Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Harriet Hobday
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Jan Vollert
- Pain Research, Department Surgery & Cancer, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom
- Division of Neurological Pain Research and Therapy, Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Germany
- Department of Anaesthesiology, Intensive Care and Pain Medicine, University Hospital Muenster, Münster,Germany
- Neurophysiology, Mannheim Center of Translational Neuroscience (MCTN), Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Andrew S.C. Rice
- Pain Research, Department Surgery & Cancer, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom
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7
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Abstract
A placebo is an inert substance normally used in clinical trials for comparison with an active substance. However, a placebo has been shown to have an effect on its own; commonly known as the placebo effect. A placebo is an essential component in the design of conclusive clinical trials but has itself become the focus of intense research. The placebo effect is partly the result of positive expectations of the recipient on the state of health. Conversely, a nocebo effect is when negative expectations from a substance lead to poor treatment outcomes and/or adverse events. Randomized controlled trials in functional urology have demonstrated the importance of the placebo and nocebo effects across different diseases such as overactive bladder, urinary incontinence, lower urinary tract symptoms and interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome, as well as male and female sexual dysfunction. Understanding the true nature of the placebo-nocebo complex and the scope of its effect in functional urology could help urologists to maximize the positive effects of this phenomenon while minimizing its potentially negative effects.
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8
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Martins D, Veronese M, Turkheimer FE, Howard MA, Williams SCR, Dipasquale O. A candidate neuroimaging biomarker for detection of neurotransmission-related functional alterations and prediction of pharmacological analgesic response in chronic pain. Brain Commun 2021; 4:fcab302. [PMID: 35169702 PMCID: PMC8833258 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcab302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Revised: 09/10/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic pain is a world-wide clinical challenge. Response to analgesic treatment is limited and difficult to predict. Functional MRI has been suggested as a potential solution. However, while most analgesics target specific neurotransmission pathways, functional MRI-based biomarkers are not specific for any neurotransmitter system, limiting our understanding of how they might contribute to predict treatment response. Here, we sought to bridge this gap by applying Receptor-Enriched Analysis of Functional Connectivity by Targets to investigate whether neurotransmission-enriched functional connectivity mapping can provide insights into the brain mechanisms underlying chronic pain and inter-individual differences in analgesic response after a placebo or duloxetine. We performed secondary analyses of two openly available resting-state functional MRI data sets of 56 patients with chronic knee osteoarthritis pain who underwent pre-treatment brain scans in two clinical trials. Study 1 (n = 17) was a 2-week single-blinded placebo pill trial. Study 2 (n = 39) was a 3-month double-blinded randomized trial comparing placebo to duloxetine, a dual serotonin–noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor. Across two independent studies, we found that patients with chronic pain present alterations in the functional circuit related to the serotonin transporter, when compared with age-matched healthy controls. Placebo responders in Study 1 presented with higher pre-treatment functional connectivity enriched by the dopamine transporter compared to non-responders. Duloxetine responders presented with higher pre-treatment functional connectivity enriched by the serotonin and noradrenaline transporters when compared with non-responders. Neurotransmission-enriched functional connectivity mapping might hold promise as a new mechanistic-informed biomarker for functional brain alterations and prediction of response to pharmacological analgesia in chronic pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Martins
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Mattia Veronese
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Federico E. Turkheimer
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Matthew A. Howard
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Steve C. R. Williams
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Ottavia Dipasquale
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF, UK
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9
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De Pascalis V, Scacchia P, Vecchio A. Influences of hypnotic suggestibility, contextual factors, and EEG alpha on placebo analgesia. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL HYPNOSIS 2021; 63:302-328. [PMID: 33999775 DOI: 10.1080/00029157.2020.1863182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
We tested the role of hypnotic suggestibility, involuntariness, pain expectation, and subjective hypnotic depth in the prediction of placebo analgesia (PA) responsiveness. We also tested the link of lower and upper alpha sub-band (i.e., 'alpha1' and 'alpha2') power changes with tonic PA responding during waking and hypnosis conditions. Following an initial PA manipulation condition, we recorded EEG activity during waking and hypnosis under two treatments: (1) painful stimulation (Pain); (2) painful stimulation after application of a PA cream. Alpha1 and alpha2 power were derived using the individual alpha frequency method. We found that (1) PA in both waking and hypnosis conditions significantly reduced relative pain perception; (2) during waking, all the above mentioned contextual measures were associated with pain reduction, while involuntariness alone was associated with pain reduction within hypnosis. Enhanced alpha2 power at the left-parietal lead was solely associated with pain reduction in waking, but not in hypnosis condition. Using multiple regression and mediation analyses we found that: (i) during waking, the enhancement of relative left-parietal alpha2 power, directly influenced the enhancement in pain reduction, and, indirectly, through the mediating positive effect of involuntariness; (j) during hypnosis, the enhancement of left-temporoparietal alpha2 power, through the mediation of involuntariness, influenced pain reduction. Current findings obtained during waking suggest that enhanced alpha2 power may serve as a direct-objective measure of the subjective reduction of tonic pain in response to PA treatment. Overall, our findings suggest that placebo analgesia during waking and hypnosis involves different processes of top-down regulation.
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10
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Rütgen M, Wirth EM, Riečanský I, Hummer A, Windischberger C, Petrovic P, Silani G, Lamm C. Beyond Sharing Unpleasant Affect-Evidence for Pain-Specific Opioidergic Modulation of Empathy for Pain. Cereb Cortex 2021; 31:2773-2786. [PMID: 33454739 PMCID: PMC8107785 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhaa385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2020] [Revised: 10/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
It is not known how specific the neural mechanisms underpinning empathy for different domains are. In the present study, we set out to test whether shared neural representations between first-hand pain and empathy for pain are pain-specific or extend to empathy for unpleasant affective touch as well. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging and psychopharmacological experiments, we investigated if placebo analgesia reduces first-hand and empathic experiences of affective touch, and compared them with the effects on pain. Placebo analgesia also affected the first-hand and empathic experience of unpleasant touch, implicating domain-general effects. However, and in contrast to pain and pain empathy, administering an opioid antagonist did not block these effects. Moreover, placebo analgesia reduced neural activity related to both modalities in the bilateral insular cortex, while it specifically modulated activity in the anterior midcingulate cortex for pain and pain empathy. These findings provide causal evidence that one of the major neurochemical systems for pain regulation is involved in pain empathy, and crucially substantiates the role of shared representations in empathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markus Rütgen
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, 1010 Vienna, Austria
| | - Eva-Maria Wirth
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, 1010 Vienna, Austria
| | - Igor Riečanský
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, 1010 Vienna, Austria.,Department of Behavioural Neuroscience, Institute of Normal and Pathological Physiology, Centre of Experimental Medicine, Slovak Academy of Sciences, 813 71 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Allan Hummer
- MR Center of Excellence, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria.,Center for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Christian Windischberger
- MR Center of Excellence, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria.,Center for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Predrag Petrovic
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, 171 76 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Giorgia Silani
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, 1010 Vienna, Austria
| | - Claus Lamm
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, 1010 Vienna, Austria
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11
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Annoni M, Buergler S, Stewart-Ferrer S, Blease C. Placebo Studies and Patient Care: Where Are the Nurses? Front Psychiatry 2021; 12:591913. [PMID: 33790812 PMCID: PMC8006311 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.591913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2020] [Accepted: 02/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Marco Annoni
- Centro Interdipartimentale per l'Etica e l'Integrità nella Ricerca, National Research Council of Italy, Roma, Italy.,Fondazione Umberto Veronesi, Milano, Italy
| | - Sarah Buergler
- Division of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Psychology, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Sif Stewart-Ferrer
- Research Unit of General Practice, Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Charlotte Blease
- Division of General Medicine and Primary Care, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
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12
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Abstract
There is tremendous interpatient variability in the response to analgesic therapy
(even for efficacious treatments), which can be the source of great frustration
in clinical practice. This has led to calls for “precision
medicine” or personalized pain therapeutics (ie, empirically based
algorithms that determine the optimal treatments, or treatment combinations, for
individual patients) that would presumably improve both the clinical care of
patients with pain and the success rates for putative analgesic drugs in phase 2
and 3 clinical trials. However, before implementing this approach, the
characteristics of individual patients or subgroups of patients that increase or
decrease the response to a specific treatment need to be identified. The
challenge is to identify the measurable phenotypic characteristics of patients
that are most predictive of individual variation in analgesic treatment
outcomes, and the measurement tools that are best suited to evaluate these
characteristics. In this article, we present evidence on the most promising of
these phenotypic characteristics for use in future research, including
psychosocial factors, symptom characteristics, sleep patterns, responses to
noxious stimulation, endogenous pain-modulatory processes, and response to
pharmacologic challenge. We provide evidence-based recommendations for core
phenotyping domains and recommend measures of each domain.
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13
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Zech N, Schrödinger M, Seemann M, Zeman F, Seyfried TF, Hansen E. Time-Dependent Negative Effects of Verbal and Non-verbal Suggestions in Surgical Patients-A Study on Arm Muscle Strength. Front Psychol 2020; 11:1693. [PMID: 32849024 PMCID: PMC7399336 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2020] [Accepted: 06/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction The medical environment is full of suggestions that affect patients and their healing. Most of them inadvertently are negative, thus evoking nocebo effects. Recently, we have reported on the effect of such verbal and non-verbal suggestions as well as alternative formulations on maximal muscular arm strength in healthy volunteers. In the present study, we tested the same suggestions in patients at two time points to evaluate nocebo effects in a clinical situation and the impact of the approaching surgery date. Methods In 45 patients, maximal muscular strength during arm abduction was measured by dynamometry of the deltoid muscle group. One test was several days before and the second on the evening before surgery. Baseline values were compared to the performance after exposure to 18 verbal and non-verbal suggestions. The sequence of presumably negative and positive suggestions was randomized for each patient in order to avoid cumulation effects of immediate succession of two negatives. State anxiety was evaluated at both time points, and suggestibility was measured after surgery. Results Strong and statistically significant weakening effects were observed with all presumed negative suggestions from daily clinical practice including words of encouragement (91.4% of baseline), evaluation of symptoms (89.0%), announcement of a medical intervention (82.8%), a negative memory (86.5%), expectation of an uncertain future (82.8%), and non-verbal signals (87.7–92.2%). In contrast, alternative formulations did not interfere with muscular performance in most cases. A more pronounced effect was observed in the test repeated closer to the date of surgery, accompanied by a 15% higher anxiety level. The increase in anxiety correlated slightly with stronger weakening effects of suggestions, as did suggestibility. Conclusions Negative suggestions cause a decrease in arm muscle strength, i.e., a “weakening” of the patient. This effect is enhanced by an increase in anxiety as the time of treatment, like surgery, approaches. The reaction can be avoided by alternative formulations. These nocebo effects that are objectively measured and quantified by a decrease in arm muscle strength are more pronounced in patients, i.e., in a clinical situation, than in healthy volunteers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina Zech
- Department of Anesthesiology, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Matthias Schrödinger
- Department of Internal Medicine, District Hospital Wörth an der Donau, Wörth am Rhein, Germany
| | - Milena Seemann
- Department of Anesthesiology, Agaplesion Diakonieklinikum Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Florian Zeman
- Centre for Clinical Studies, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Timo F Seyfried
- Department of Anesthesiology, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Ernil Hansen
- Department of Anesthesiology, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
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14
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Yamamotová A. Endogenous antinociceptive system and potential ways to influence It. Physiol Res 2020; 68:S195-S205. [PMID: 31928038 DOI: 10.33549/physiolres.934351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The biological significance of pain is to protect the organism from possible injury. However, there exists a situation, where, in the interest of survival, it is more important not to perceive pain. Spontaneous suppression of pain or weakening of nociception is mediated by an endogenous antinociceptive (analgesic) system. Its anatomical substrate ranges from the periaqueductal gray matter of the midbrain, through the noradrenergic and serotonergic nuclei of the brain stem to the spinal neurons, which receive "pain" information from nociceptors. Moreover, the activity of this system is under significant control of emotional and cognitive circuits. Pain can be moderated primarily through stimulation of positive emotions, while negative emotions increase pain. Paradoxically, one pain can also suppress another pain. Analgesia can be induced by stress, physical exercise, orosensory stimulation via a sweet taste, listening to music, and after placebo, i.e. when relief from pain is expected. Since pain has sensory, affective, and cognitive components, it turns out that activation of these entire systems can, in specific ways, contribute to pain suppression.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Yamamotová
- Charles University, Third Faculty of Medicine, Department of Physiology, Ke Karlovu 4, 120 00 Prague 2, Czech Republic.
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15
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Lindheimer JB, Szabo A, Raglin JS, Beedie C. Advancing the understanding of placebo effects in psychological outcomes of exercise: Lessons learned and future directions. Eur J Sport Sci 2020; 20:326-337. [PMID: 31215360 PMCID: PMC6949426 DOI: 10.1080/17461391.2019.1632937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Despite the apparent strength of scientific evidence suggesting that psychological benefits result from both acute and chronic exercise, concerns remain regarding the extent to which these benefits are explained by placebo effects. Addressing these concerns is methodologically and at times conceptually challenging. However, developments in the conceptualisation and study of placebo effects from the fields of psychology, neuroscience, pharmacology, and human performance offer guidance for advancing the understanding of placebo effects in psychological responses to exercise. In clinical trials, expectations can be measured and experimentally manipulated to better understand the influence of placebo effects on treatment responses. Further, compelling evidence has shown that the contribution of placebo effects and their underlying neurobiological mechanisms to treatment effects can be measured without administering a traditional placebo (e.g. inert substance) by leveraging psychological factors such as expectations and conditioning. Hence, the purpose of this focused review is to integrate lessons such as these with the current body of literature on placebo effects in psychological responses to exercise and provide recommendations for future research directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob B Lindheimer
- Department of Veterans Affairs, William S. Middleton Veterans Memorial Hospital, Madison, WI, USA
- Department of Kinesiology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Attila Szabo
- Institute of Health Promotion and Sport Sciences, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest Hungary
| | - John S Raglin
- Department of Kinesiology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Chris Beedie
- School of Psychology, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
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16
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Eccles R. The Powerful Placebo Effect in Cough: Relevance to Treatment and Clinical Trials. Lung 2020; 198:13-21. [PMID: 31834478 PMCID: PMC7012959 DOI: 10.1007/s00408-019-00305-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2019] [Accepted: 12/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Interest in the placebo effect of medicines has developed from the use of placebo treatments as controls in clinical trials into a whole new area of research around how placebos fit into a psychosocial model of therapeutics. The large placebo effect associated with cough medicines is both a problem and an opportunity for researchers: a problem for clinical trials on new actives as the active must beat the large placebo effect, and an opportunity for harnessing the placebo effect to produce effective cough medicines without any pharmacologically active ingredient. This review discusses the mechanisms associated with the placebo effect of cough medicines and distinguishes between a 'perceived placebo effect' and a true 'placebo effect'. The efficacy of sweeteners in cough syrups is discussed as well as viscosity, mucoadhesion, and flavoring. The complexity of modern cough medicines is demonstrated by an example of a medicine which contains one active ingredient, and eighteen excipients which provide a complex and intense sensory experience to enhance the placebo effect and complement the pharmacological activity of the medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ron Eccles
- Cardiff School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Museum Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3AX, Wales, UK.
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17
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Kern A, Kramm C, Witt CM, Barth J. The influence of personality traits on the placebo/nocebo response: A systematic review. J Psychosom Res 2020; 128:109866. [PMID: 31760341 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2019.109866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2019] [Revised: 10/29/2019] [Accepted: 10/31/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Some people might be more prone to placebo and nocebo responses than others depending on their personality traits. We aimed to provide a systematic review on the influence of personality traits on placebo and nocebo responses in controlled and uncontrolled studies. METHODS We conducted a systematic literature search in the databases CINAHL, AMED, PsycINFO and EMBASE for relevant publications published between January 1997 and March 2018. For all included papers, we conducted an additional forward search. RESULTS After screening 407 references, we identified 24 studies. The Big Five (i.e., neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness and conscientiousness) and optimism were the most frequently investigated personality traits. Several studies found a positive association between optimism and the placebo response. Furthermore, we found that higher anxiety was associated with increased nocebo responses. CONCLUSION Evidence points to a possible association between optimism and the placebo response. Therefore, further emphasising the investigation of the influence of optimism on the placebo/nocebo response seems warranted. For clinical practice, the impact of anxiety on the nocebo response might be important to identify patients who might be more prone to experiencing side effects of medical treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Kern
- Institute for Complementary and Integrative Medicine, University Hospital Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Christoph Kramm
- Institute for Complementary and Integrative Medicine, University Hospital Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Claudia M Witt
- Institute for Complementary and Integrative Medicine, University Hospital Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Institute for Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Center for Integrative Medicine, University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jürgen Barth
- Institute for Complementary and Integrative Medicine, University Hospital Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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18
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Mei Q, Li C, Yin Y, Wang Q, Wang Q, Deng G. The relationship between the psychological stress of adolescents in school and the prevalence of chronic low back pain: a cross-sectional study in China. Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health 2019; 13:24. [PMID: 31236133 PMCID: PMC6580587 DOI: 10.1186/s13034-019-0283-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2019] [Accepted: 06/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Accumulating evidence supports an association between an unhealthy mental state and low back pain (LBP). However, the degree of the association between mental health and chronic low back pain (CLBP) in the general population is poorly understood. The objective of this study was to analyze the incidence of CLBP in Chinese college students and to examine the association between students' unhealthy mental states and the prevalence of CLBP. METHODS This is a cross-sectional study. A total of 10,000 questionnaires were distributed in the second semester of the 2017-2018 academic year by the School of Medicine, Shanghai JiaoTong University. Eligible participants were students aged ≥ 18 years from randomly selected Chinese colleges. Participants completed a questionnaire survey that included items from the Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90) and items on demographic factors, LBP prevalence, quality of life at their university, study-related stress and interpersonal relationships. The evaluation of students' mental states in the survey was divided into two major parts: direct and indirect indicators. A multivariate logistic regression model was mainly used to explore the relationship between CLBP and the students' mental health. RESULTS There was a high incidence of CLBP in the college students. Multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that the risk of CLBP increased with increasing scores on the SCL-90, and a clinically unhealthy mental state (scores greater than 3) was significantly associated with CLBP (adjusted odds ratios for depression, anxiety, coercion, paranoia, and interpersonal sensitivity were 7.209, 6.593, 3.959, 4.465, and 4.283, respectively; p < 0.001). Participants who had poor living habits or uncomfortable campus lives and those who experienced heavy academic pressure also showed a higher positive association with CLBP compared with the full sample. CONCLUSIONS Unhealthy psychological conditions, which may be attributed to unsatisfying school lives, excessive learning pressure, and uncomfortable interpersonal relationships, represent a risk factor for CLBP in college students.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qixiang Mei
- 0000 0004 0368 8293grid.16821.3cShanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200080 China
| | - Chunlin Li
- 0000 0004 0368 8293grid.16821.3cShanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200080 China
| | - Yue Yin
- 0000 0004 0368 8293grid.16821.3cShanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200080 China
| | - Qi Wang
- 0000 0004 0368 8293grid.16821.3cTrauma Center, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, No. 650 Xin Songjiang Road, Shanghai, 201620 People’s Republic of China
| | - Qiugen Wang
- 0000 0004 0368 8293grid.16821.3cTrauma Center, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, No. 650 Xin Songjiang Road, Shanghai, 201620 People’s Republic of China
| | - Guoying Deng
- 0000 0004 0368 8293grid.16821.3cTrauma Center, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, No. 650 Xin Songjiang Road, Shanghai, 201620 People’s Republic of China
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19
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Zech N, Seemann M, Grzesiek M, Breu A, Seyfried TF, Hansen E. Nocebo Effects on Muscular Performance - An Experimental Study About Clinical Situations. Front Pharmacol 2019; 10:219. [PMID: 30914952 PMCID: PMC6421283 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2019.00219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2018] [Accepted: 02/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Nocebo effects are not only seen in studies of pharmacology and placebo/nocebo research but also in clinical everyday situations. For generation of objective and quantitative data on the impact of negative communication we have evaluated the immediate effects of common sentences, non-verbal signals and situations in the medical context on muscular performance. Methods: In an experimental study, 46 volunteers were tested by dynamometry of the deltoid muscle group to evaluate the maximal muscular strength during arm abduction. Baseline values were compared to performance after exposure to 18 verbal and non-verbal suggestions. Suggestions suspected to be negative were alternated with and compared to positively formulated alternatives. Results: Verbal and non-verbal communication produced significant effects on muscular performance, resulting mainly in weakening. The decrease in muscle strength after risk information for informed consent (91.4% of baseline) was absent, when benefits of the treatment were named coincidently. The weakening effect of asking about "pain" and "nausea" (89.4%), and of the announcement of medical interventions (91.7%) could be avoided with alternative wording. Impairment of muscular performance was also observed with the nocebo-inducers negative memory (89.5%) or uncertain future (93.3%), in contrast to a positive memory or the orientation into the presence. Non-verbal suggestions like overhead anesthesia induction (89.9%), a transport in strict flat supine position (89.1%), or a view from the window to a parking lot (94.1%) significantly reduced maximal muscle strength, whereas face-to face induction, half-sitting position and a view into the landscape did not. 8 out of 9 tested clinical situations reduced maximal arm muscle strength significantly, whereas alternative formulations did not. Conclusion: This study describes a quick, simple and uniform test using objective measurement of maximal muscle strength to allow for identification, quantification, and comparison of negative suggestions, regardless of their specific content and effect. Muscle strength is a clinically relevant parameter with regard to early mobilization, risk of falling and sufficient breathing. Furthermore, the observed impairment of muscular performance could reflect a general "weakening effect" of negative suggestions. In addition, the test facilitates development and verification of appropriate alternatives to prevent nocebo effects in patients, thereby improving patient communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina Zech
- Department of Anesthesiology, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Milena Seemann
- Department of Anesthesiology, Klinikum Nürnberg, Nürnberg, Germany
| | - Magdalena Grzesiek
- Department of Anesthesiology, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Anita Breu
- Department of Anesthesiology, Sana Clinics Cham, Cham, Germany
| | - Timo F Seyfried
- Department of Anesthesiology, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Ernil Hansen
- Department of Anesthesiology, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
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20
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Sagy I, Abres J, Winnick A, Jotkowitz A. Placebos in the era of open-label trials: An update for clinicians. Eur J Clin Invest 2019; 49:e13038. [PMID: 30316203 DOI: 10.1111/eci.13038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2018] [Revised: 10/07/2018] [Accepted: 10/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Placebos have been used extensively by vast numbers of physicians, in a majority of clinical trials. Placebo effects involve behavioural, psychological and genetic factors and have been subject to ethical controversies stemming from the use of deception in treating patients. The patient-physician encounter, endogenous pharmacological pathways, personality traits and genetic diversity have all been reported to be key players in placebo responses. In the last decade, a new methodological paradigm of placebo research has emerged, using open-label placebos to investigate their effects which showed promising results for various common medical conditions. In this review, we will summarize the current body of evidence on placebos in clinical practice, with a view to open-label placebo trials in particular. It is our view that future larger-scale randomized blinded open placebo trials will benefit physicians and improve patient outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iftach Sagy
- Soroka University Medical Center and Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.,Clinical Research Center, Soroka University Medical Center, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Jonathan Abres
- Soroka University Medical Center and Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Ariel Winnick
- Soroka University Medical Center and Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Alan Jotkowitz
- Soroka University Medical Center and Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
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21
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Meints SM, Edwards RR. Evaluating psychosocial contributions to chronic pain outcomes. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2018; 87:168-182. [PMID: 29408484 PMCID: PMC6067990 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2018.01.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 246] [Impact Index Per Article: 41.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2017] [Revised: 01/18/2018] [Accepted: 01/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The biopsychosocial model of pain dominates the scientific community's understanding of chronic pain. Indeed, the biopsychosocial approach describes pain and disability as a multidimensional, dynamic integration among physiological, psychological, and social factors that reciprocally influence one another. In this article, we review two categories of studies that evaluate the contributions of psychosocial factors to the experience of chronic pain. First, we consider general psychosocial variables including distress, trauma, and interpersonal factors. Additionally, we discuss pain-specific psychosocial variables including catastrophizing, expectations, and pain-related coping. Together, we present a diverse array of psychological, social, and contextual factors and highlight the need to consider their roles in the development, maintenance, and treatment of chronic pain conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- S M Meints
- Department of Anesthesiology, Pain Management Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA.
| | - R R Edwards
- Department of Anesthesiology, Pain Management Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA
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22
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Santarcangelo EL, Consoli S. Complex Role of Hypnotizability in the Cognitive Control of Pain. Front Psychol 2018; 9:2272. [PMID: 30515125 PMCID: PMC6256013 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2018] [Accepted: 11/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Enrica L. Santarcangelo
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
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23
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De Pascalis V, Scacchia P. The influence of reward sensitivity, heart rate dynamics and EEG-delta activity on placebo analgesia. Behav Brain Res 2018; 359:320-332. [PMID: 30439452 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2018.11.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2018] [Revised: 10/10/2018] [Accepted: 11/08/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Personality traits have been shown to interact with environmental cues to modulate biological responses including treatment responses, and potentially having a role in the formation of placebo effects. Here we used the Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory Personality Questionnaire (RST-PQ) to identify personality traits that predict placebo analgesic responding. Cardiac inter-beat (RR) time series and electroencephalographic (EEG) band oscillations were recorded from healthy women in a cold-pain (Pain) and placebo analgesia (PA) condition. The measures of Hypnotizability, and self-reported ratings of Hypnotic Depth, Motivation, Pain Expectation, Involuntariness in PA responding, Pain and Distress intensity were obtained. Separate principal components factor analyses with varimax rotation were performed on summarized heart rate variability (HRV) measures of time, frequency, nonlinear Complexity, and EEG-band activity. Both analyses yielded a similar three-factor solution including Frequency HRV (factor-1), Complexity HRV dynamics (factor-2), and time HRV & EEG-delta activity (factor-3). Reward Interest sub-trait of the Behavioral Approach System (BAS-RI), Pain Expectation, Involuntariness in PA responding, and Hypnotic Depth were positively associated, whereas negative changes in time-HRV & EEG-delta scores were associated with Pain Reduction. Multiple mediation analyses disclosed that BAS-RI, potentially served by the dopaminergic system, through Involuntariness in PA responding can alter placebo responding to laboratory pain. Our results also show that a linear compound of HR slowing and higher EEG delta activity during PA explains a substantial proportion of the variance in placebo analgesic responses. Future studies should examine the potential role that these individual difference measures may play in patient responsiveness to treatments for clinical pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- V De Pascalis
- Department of Psychology "La Sapienza" University of Rome, Italy.
| | - P Scacchia
- Department of Psychology "La Sapienza" University of Rome, Italy
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24
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Ahmed S, Plazier M, Ost J, Stassijns G, Deleye S, Ceyssens S, Dupont P, Stroobants S, Staelens S, De Ridder D, Vanneste S. The effect of occipital nerve field stimulation on the descending pain pathway in patients with fibromyalgia: a water PET and EEG imaging study. BMC Neurol 2018; 18:191. [PMID: 30419855 PMCID: PMC6233518 DOI: 10.1186/s12883-018-1190-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2017] [Accepted: 10/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Fibromyalgia is a chronic disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain accompanied by fatigue, sleep, memory, and mood problems. Recently, occipital nerve field stimulation (ONS) has been proposed as an effective potential treatment for fibromyalgia-related pain. The aim of this study is to unravel the neural mechanism behind occipital nerve stimulation’s ability to suppress pain in fibromyalgia patients. Materials and methods Seven patients implanted with subcutaneous electrodes in the C2 dermatoma were enrolled for a Positron Emission Tomography (PET) H215O activation study. These seven patients were selected from a cohort of 40 patients who were part of a double blind, placebo-controlled study followed by an open label follow up at six months. The H215O PET scans were taken during both the “ON” (active stimulation) and “OFF” (stimulating device turned off) conditions. Electroencephalogram (EEG) data were also recorded for the implanted fibromyalgia patients during both the “ON” and “OFF” conditions. Results Relative to the “OFF” condition, ONS stimulation resulted in activation in the dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex, comprising the medial pain pathway, the ventral medial prefrontal cortex, and the bilateral anterior cingulate cortex as well as parahippocampal area, the latter two of which comprise the descending pain pathway. Relative deactivation was observed in the left somatosensory cortex, constituting the lateral pain pathway as well as other sensory areas such as the visual and auditory cortex. The EEG results also showed increased activity in the descending pain pathway. The pregenual anterior cingulate cortex extending into the ventral medial prefrontal cortex displayed this increase in the theta, alpha1, alpha2, beta1, and beta2 frequency bands. Conclusion PET shows that ONS exerts its effect via activation of the descending pain inhibitory pathway and the lateral pain pathway in fibromyalgia, while EEG shows activation of those cortical areas that could be responsible for descending inhibition system recruitment. Trial Registration This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00917176 (June 10, 2009).
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaheen Ahmed
- School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas, USA
| | - Mark Plazier
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | | | - Gaetane Stassijns
- Department of physical health hand rehabilitation, University Hospital Antwerp, Edegem, Belgium
| | - Steven Deleye
- Department of Cognitive Neurology, UZ Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Sarah Ceyssens
- Department of Cognitive Neurology, UZ Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Patrick Dupont
- Department of Cognitive Neurology, UZ Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Sigrid Stroobants
- Department of nuclear medicine, University Hospital Antwerp, Edegem, Belgium
| | - Steven Staelens
- Molecular Imaging Centre, University of Antwerp, Edegem, Belgium
| | - Dirk De Ridder
- Department of Surgical Sciences, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Sven Vanneste
- School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas, USA.
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Sanders ARJ, Bensing JM, Magnée T, Verhaak P, de Wit NJ. The effectiveness of shared decision-making followed by positive reinforcement on physical disability in the long-term follow-up of patients with nonspecific low back pain in primary care: a clustered randomised controlled trial. BMC FAMILY PRACTICE 2018; 19:102. [PMID: 29954333 PMCID: PMC6022513 DOI: 10.1186/s12875-018-0776-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2017] [Accepted: 05/25/2018] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Background Although the recovery of patients suffering from low back pain is highly context dependent, patient preferences about treatment options are seldom incorporated into the therapeutic plan. Shared decision-making (SDM) offers a tool to overcome this deficiency. The reinforcement by the general practitioner (GP) of a ‘shared’ chosen therapy might increase patients’ expectations of favourable outcomes and thus contribute to recovery. Methods In the Netherlands, a clustered randomised controlled trial was performed to assess the effectiveness of shared decision-making followed by positive reinforcement of the chosen therapy (SDM&PR) on patient-related clinical outcomes. Overall, 68 GPs included 226 patients visiting their GP for a new episode of non-chronic low back pain. GPs in the intervention group were trained in implementing SDM&PR using a structured training programme with a focus on patient preferences in reaching treatment decisions. GPs in the control group provided care as usual. The primary outcome was the change in physical disability measured with the Roland-Morris disability questionnaire (RMD) during the six-month follow-up after the first consultation. Physical disability (RMD), pain, adequate relief, absenteeism and healthcare consumption at 2, 6, 12 and 26 weeks were secondary outcomes. A multivariate analysis with a mixed model was used to estimate the differences in outcomes. Results Of the patients in the intervention and the control groups, 66 and 62%, respectively, completed the follow-up. Most patients (77%) recovered to no functional restrictions due to back pain within 26 weeks. No significant differences in the mean scores for any outcome were observed between intervention patients and controls during the follow-up, and in multivariate analysis, there was no significant difference in the main outcome during the six-month follow-up. Patients in the intervention group reported more involvement in decision-making. Conclusion This study did not detect any improvement in clinical outcome or in health care consumption of patients with non-chronic low back pain after the training of GPs in SDM&PR. The implementation of SDM merely introduces task-oriented communication. The training of the GPs may have been more effective if it had focused more on patient-oriented communication techniques and on stressing the expectation of favourable outcomes. Trial registration The Netherlands National Trial Register (NTR) number: NTR1960. The trial was registered in the NTR on August 20, 2009. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12875-018-0776-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariëtte R J Sanders
- Julius Centre for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Centre Utrecht, PO Box 85500 3508, GA, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
| | - Jozien M Bensing
- NIVEL (Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research), PO Box 1568 3500, BN, Utrecht, the Netherlands.,Faculty of Social and Behavioural Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Tessa Magnée
- NIVEL (Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research), PO Box 1568 3500, BN, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Peter Verhaak
- NIVEL (Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research), PO Box 1568 3500, BN, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Niek J de Wit
- Julius Centre for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Centre Utrecht, PO Box 85500 3508, GA, Utrecht, the Netherlands
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Szemerszky R, Szabolcs Z, Bogdány T, Jánossy G, Thuróczy G, Köteles F. No effect of a pulsed magnetic field on induced ischemic muscle pain. A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Physiol Behav 2018; 184:55-59. [PMID: 29127072 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2017.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2017] [Revised: 10/30/2017] [Accepted: 11/06/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Empirical evidence supporting the effectiveness of pulsed (electro)magnetic field (PEMF) therapy on chronic and acute pain is equivocal. In the current randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled experiment, impact of a commercially available whole-body PEMF mat on acute ischemic muscle pain induced in the forearm was studied with the participation of 70 healthy volunteers. The device emitted a pulsed magnetic field with a repetition frequency of 2.05Hz and a maximum flux density of 25.3μT (rms). The highest dB/dt was 48mT/s. No differences between the groups receiving actual and sham PEMF were found in terms of pain threshold, pain tolerance, heart rate, and perceived decrease of pain. However, participants' expectation concerning the effectiveness of the intervention improved pain tolerance and affected perceived change of pain. In conclusion, the used PEMF device had no specific effect on acute ischemic muscle pain, while the contribution of the placebo effect was considerable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renáta Szemerszky
- Institute of Health Promotion and Sport Sciences, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Bogdánfy u. 10/B, Budapest H-1117, Hungary.
| | - Zsuzsanna Szabolcs
- Institute of Health Promotion and Sport Sciences, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Bogdánfy u. 10/B, Budapest H-1117, Hungary; Doctoral School of Psychology, Institute of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Izabella u. 46, H-1064 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Tamás Bogdány
- Institute of Health Promotion and Sport Sciences, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Bogdánfy u. 10/B, Budapest H-1117, Hungary
| | - Gábor Jánossy
- National Public Health Institute, Department of Non-Ionizing Radiation, Anna u. 5., H-1221 Budapest, Hungary.
| | - György Thuróczy
- National Public Health Institute, Department of Non-Ionizing Radiation, Anna u. 5., H-1221 Budapest, Hungary.
| | - Ferenc Köteles
- Institute of Health Promotion and Sport Sciences, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Bogdánfy u. 10/B, Budapest H-1117, Hungary.
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Schafer SM, Geuter S, Wager TD. Mechanisms of placebo analgesia: A dual-process model informed by insights from cross-species comparisons. Prog Neurobiol 2018; 160:101-122. [PMID: 29108801 PMCID: PMC5747994 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2017.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2017] [Revised: 10/24/2017] [Accepted: 10/28/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Placebo treatments are pharmacologically inert, but are known to alleviate symptoms across a variety of clinical conditions. Associative learning and cognitive expectations both play important roles in placebo responses, however we are just beginning to understand how interactions between these processes lead to powerful effects. Here, we review the psychological principles underlying placebo effects and our current understanding of their brain bases, focusing on studies demonstrating both the importance of cognitive expectations and those that demonstrate expectancy-independent associative learning. To account for both forms of placebo analgesia, we propose a dual-process model in which flexible, contextually driven cognitive schemas and attributions guide associative learning processes that produce stable, long-term placebo effects. According to this model, the placebo-induction paradigms with the most powerful effects are those that combine reinforcement (e.g., the experience of reduced pain after placebo treatment) with suggestions and context cues that disambiguate learning by attributing perceived benefit to the placebo. Using this model as a conceptual scaffold, we review and compare neurobiological systems identified in both human studies of placebo analgesia and behavioral pain modulation in rodents. We identify substantial overlap between the circuits involved in human placebo analgesia and those that mediate multiple forms of context-based modulation of pain behavior in rodents, including forebrain-brainstem pathways and opioid and cannabinoid systems in particular. This overlap suggests that placebo effects are part of a set of adaptive mechanisms for shaping nociceptive signaling based on its information value and anticipated optimal response in a given behavioral context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott M Schafer
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado, 345 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
| | - Stephan Geuter
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado, 345 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309, USA; Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Colorado Boulder, 344 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309, USA; Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins University, 615 N Wolfe St, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Tor D Wager
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado, 345 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309, USA; Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Colorado Boulder, 344 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
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Vambheim SM, Flaten MA. A systematic review of sex differences in the placebo and the nocebo effect. J Pain Res 2017; 10:1831-1839. [PMID: 28831271 PMCID: PMC5548268 DOI: 10.2147/jpr.s134745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Objectives The present review investigated whether there are systematic sex differences in the placebo and the nocebo effect. Methods A literature search was conducted in multiple electronic databases. Studies were included if the study compared a group or condition where a placebo was administered to a natural history group or similar cohort. Results Eighteen studies were identified – 12 on placebo effects and 6 on nocebo effects. Chi-square tests revealed that 1) males responded more strongly to placebo treatment, and females responded more strongly to nocebo treatment, and 2) males responded with larger placebo effects induced by verbal information, and females responded with larger nocebo effects induced by conditioning procedures. Conclusion This review indicates that there are sex differences in the placebo and nocebo effects, probably caused by sex differences in stress, anxiety, and the endogenous opioid system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara M Vambheim
- Department of Psychology, UiT, The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø
| | - Magne Arve Flaten
- Department of Psychology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway
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29
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Efficacy paradox and proportional contextual effect (PCE). Clin Immunol 2017; 186:82-86. [PMID: 28736278 DOI: 10.1016/j.clim.2017.07.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2017] [Accepted: 07/19/2017] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The "efficacy paradox" is when the effect of a treatment tested in an RCT, or evidence-based guideline advice, differs markedly from treatment benefits observed in clinical practice. This arises because in RCT reporting and guideline development treatment efficacy is judged by the separation of the treatment group from the placebo group (the specific treatment effect) whereas in clinical practice it is the overall treatment effect, which includes both specific and contextual responses, that patients experience. This paradox causes a disconnect between guidelines and clinical practice and ignores the importance of contextual response in clinical care. This article fully explains and discusses these issues and presents a possible way to reduce the paradox through an alteration in RCT reporting that shifts the focus to overall treatment benefit and the proportion ("proportional contextual effect") that is explained by placebo and contextual effects.
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Staud R, Kizer T, Robinson ME. Muscle injections with lidocaine improve resting fatigue and pain in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome. J Pain Res 2017; 10:1477-1486. [PMID: 28721090 PMCID: PMC5499959 DOI: 10.2147/jpr.s139466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) complain of long-lasting fatigue and pain which are not relieved by rest and worsened by physical exertion. Previous research has implicated metaboreceptors of muscles to play an important role for chronic fatigue and pain. Therefore, we hypothesized that blocking impulse input from deep tissues with intramuscular lidocaine injections would improve not only the pain but also fatigue of CFS patients. METHODS In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 58 CFS patients received 20 mL of 1% lidocaine (200 mg) or normal saline once into both trapezius and gluteal muscles. Study outcomes included clinical fatigue and pain, depression, and anxiety. In addition, mechanical and heat hyperalgesia were assessed and serum levels of lidocaine were obtained after the injections. RESULTS Fatigue ratings of CFS patients decreased significantly more after lidocaine compared to saline injections (p = 0.03). In contrast, muscle injections reduced pain, depression, and anxiety (p < 0.001), but these changes were not statistically different between lidocaine and saline (p > 0.05). Lidocaine injections increased mechanical pain thresholds of CFS patients (p = 0.04) but did not affect their heat hyperalgesia. Importantly, mood changes or lidocaine serum levels did not significantly predict fatigue reductions. CONCLUSION These results demonstrate that lidocaine injections reduce clinical fatigue of CFS patients significantly more than placebo, suggesting an important role of peripheral tissues for chronic fatigue. Future investigations will be necessary to evaluate the clinical benefits of such interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Michael E Robinson
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
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31
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Bicket MC, Pasquina PF, Cohen SP. Which Regional Pain Rating Best Predicts Patient-Reported Improvement in Lumbar Radiculopathy? Pain Pract 2017; 17:1058-1065. [PMID: 28226408 DOI: 10.1111/papr.12569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2016] [Revised: 11/21/2016] [Accepted: 01/13/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To determine the best regional pain score cutoff value that corresponds with patient-reported improvement in lumbosacral radiculopathy (LSR). DESIGN Retrospective pooled data analysis from 3 randomized, controlled, multicenter trials using similar outcome assessments. All participants were exposed to interventions (epidural injections). SETTING Military medical centers (6 U.S.A., 1 Germany) and large tertiary care hospitals (4 urban, 1 Veterans Affairs) between 2008 and 2014. SUBJECTS A total of 352 active duty military personnel and civilians ≥ 18 years of age with LSR. METHODS Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) with area under the curve (AUC) were calculated for 1-month outcomes for pain (numeric rating scale) using absolute and relative change in regional pain scores (back, leg) to predict clinical improvement (global perceived effect). RESULTS Leg pain demonstrated greater predictive ability to identify clinical improvement compared to back pain for both absolute (ROC AUC [95% confidence interval (CI)] 0.855 [0.813, 0.896] vs. 0.753 [0.702, 0.805]; P < 0.001) and relative (AUC [95% CI]; 0.867 [0.826, 0.909] vs. 0.780 [0.729, 0.831]; P = 0.002) reduction in reported pain. Clinical improvement was best identified using a leg pain reduction threshold of ≥ 1.75 points (absolute) and ≥ 23.5% (relative). CONCLUSIONS Region-specific pain cutoff ratings predicted clinical improvement for patients with LSR. Cutoff points using newly identified, smaller reductions of 1.75 points and 23.5% more accurately predicted clinical improvement for LSR than conventionally used cutoffs (2 points and 30%). LSR patients report meaningful clinical improvement with smaller reductions in pain compared to other chronic pain diagnoses, suggesting LSR patients may have different expectations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark C Bicket
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A
| | - Paul F Pasquina
- Departments of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.A.,Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.A
| | - Steven P Cohen
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A.,Departments of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.A.,Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.A.,Departments of Neurology and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A.,Department of Anesthesiology, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.A
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Abstract
There is tremendous interpatient variability in the response to analgesic therapy (even for efficacious treatments), which can be the source of great frustration in clinical practice. This has led to calls for "precision medicine" or personalized pain therapeutics (ie, empirically based algorithms that determine the optimal treatments, or treatment combinations, for individual patients) that would presumably improve both the clinical care of patients with pain and the success rates for putative analgesic drugs in phase 2 and 3 clinical trials. However, before implementing this approach, the characteristics of individual patients or subgroups of patients that increase or decrease the response to a specific treatment need to be identified. The challenge is to identify the measurable phenotypic characteristics of patients that are most predictive of individual variation in analgesic treatment outcomes, and the measurement tools that are best suited to evaluate these characteristics. In this article, we present evidence on the most promising of these phenotypic characteristics for use in future research, including psychosocial factors, symptom characteristics, sleep patterns, responses to noxious stimulation, endogenous pain-modulatory processes, and response to pharmacologic challenge. We provide evidence-based recommendations for core phenotyping domains and recommend measures of each domain.
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Sanders ARJ, Bensing JM, Essed MALU, Magnée T, de Wit NJ, Verhaak PFM. Does training general practitioners result in more shared decision making during consultations? PATIENT EDUCATION AND COUNSELING 2017; 100:563-574. [PMID: 27780647 DOI: 10.1016/j.pec.2016.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2015] [Revised: 09/17/2016] [Accepted: 10/02/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE We conducted a clustered randomised controlled trial to study the effects of shared decision making (SDM) on patient recovery. This study aims to determine whether GPs trained in SDM and reinforcing patients' treatment expectations showed more trained behaviour during their consultations than untrained GPs. METHODS We compared 86 consultations conducted by 23 trained GPs with 89 consultations completed by 19 untrained GPs. The primary outcomes were SDM, as measured by the OPTION scale, and positive reinforcement, as measured by global observation. Secondary outcomes were the level of autonomy in decision making and the duration of the consultation. RESULTS Intervention consultations scored significantly higher on most elements of the OPTION scale, and on the autonomy scale; however, they were three minutes longer in duration, and the mean OPTION score of the intervention group remained below average. CONCLUSION Training GPs resulted in more SDM behaviour and more autonomy for the patient; however, this increase is not attributable to the adoption of a patient perspective. Furthermore, while we aimed to demonstrate that SDM facilitates the reinforcement of patients' positive expectations, the measurement of this behaviour was not reliable. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS In supporting SDM, professionals should give greater attention to patients' treatment expectations.
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Affiliation(s)
- A R J Sanders
- Julius Centre for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Mailbox 85500, 3508 GA Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - J M Bensing
- NIVEL (Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research), Mailbox 1568, 3500 BN Utrecht, The Netherlands; Faculty of Social and Behavioural Science, Utrecht University, Postbus 80140, 3508 TC Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - M A L U Essed
- Julius Centre for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Mailbox 85500, 3508 GA Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - T Magnée
- NIVEL (Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research), Mailbox 1568, 3500 BN Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - N J de Wit
- Julius Centre for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Mailbox 85500, 3508 GA Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - P F M Verhaak
- NIVEL (Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research), Mailbox 1568, 3500 BN Utrecht, The Netherlands; Groningen University, University Medical Centre Groningen, Dept. of General Practice Groningen A. Deusinglaan 1, 9712 CP Groningen, The Netherlands
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Newell D, Lothe LR, Raven TJL. Contextually Aided Recovery (CARe): a scientific theory for innate healing. Chiropr Man Therap 2017; 25:6. [PMID: 28289539 PMCID: PMC5304402 DOI: 10.1186/s12998-017-0137-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2016] [Accepted: 02/02/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The chiropractic profession emerged when scientific explanations for causes of health and disease were still in infancy and the co-existence of notions such as innate healing and vitalism were perhaps admissible within such a historical context. Notwithstanding, within the scientific culture of the 21st Century all healthcare paradigms require evidential support which in regard these early concepts are in large part, absent. Nevertheless, a large body of emerging scientific evidence supports the existence of innate healing phenomena that may explain a plethora of clinical outcomes observed during chiropractic care. However, in contrast to the notion that removing the putative subluxation constitutes the mechanism by which this healing is initiated, the evidentially supported explanation is one that invokes the impact of contextual factors inherent in the skilful care and authority of the healthcare provider. This perspective is presented here as the scientific model of Contextually Aided Recovery (CARe). MAIN BODY This paper contends that;Contextual effects are powerful and desirable and are triggered by contextual factors present in all therapeutic encounters including those encountered in chiropractic practice.These factors can elicit large clinical effects with substantive evidence supporting pain, immune and motor modulation.The compartmentalisation of specific and non-specific effects is a biologically and scientifically false dichotomy, erroneously invoked to de-legitimise treatment approaches that expertly construct contextual healing scenarios.The use of factors to construct contextual healing scenarios that maximise positive (placebo) and minimize negative (nocebo) effects is a skilful clinical art within the multimodal approach that describes modern chiropractic care and should be presented and defended as a legitimate component of orthodox healthcare Clinical improvement during chiropractic care, beyond any biologically specific treatment effects of manipulation and other modalities, may be largely understood considering contextual factors as described by a Contextually Aided Recovery (CARe) model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dave Newell
- Anglo European College of Chiropractic, Bournemouth, UK
| | - Lise R Lothe
- Kiropraktorene i Grimstad & Lillesand, Grimstad, Norway
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Reduced Need for Rescue Antiemetics and Improved Capacity to Eat in Patients Receiving Acupuncture Compared to Patients Receiving Sham Acupuncture or Standard Care during Radiotherapy. EVIDENCE-BASED COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE 2017; 2017:5806351. [PMID: 28270851 PMCID: PMC5320299 DOI: 10.1155/2017/5806351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2016] [Accepted: 01/10/2017] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Objective. To evaluate if consumption of emesis-related care and eating capacity differed between patients receiving verum acupuncture, sham acupuncture, or standard care only during radiotherapy. Methods. Patients were randomized to verum (n = 100) or sham (n = 100) acupuncture (telescopic blunt sham needle) (median 12 sessions) and registered daily their consumption of antiemetics and eating capacity. A standard care group (n = 62) received standard care only and delivered these data once. Results. More patients in the verum (n = 73 of 89 patients still undergoing radiotherapy; 82%, Relative Risk (RR) 1.23, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 1.01–1.50) and the sham acupuncture group (n = 79 of 95; 83%, RR 1.24, CI 1.03–1.52) did not need any antiemetic medications, as compared to the standard care group (n = 42 out of 63; 67%) after receiving 27 Gray dose of radiotherapy. More patients in the verum (n = 50 of 89; 56%, RR 1.78, CI 1.31–2.42) and the sham acupuncture group (n = 58 of 94 answering patients; 62%, RR 1.83, CI 1.20–2.80) were capable of eating as usual, compared to the standard care group (n = 20 of 63; 39%). Conclusion. Patients receiving acupuncture had lower consumption of antiemetics and better eating capacity than patients receiving standard antiemetic care, plausible by nonspecific effects of the extra care during acupuncture.
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Rich T, Zhao F, Cruciani RA, Cella D, Manola J, Fisch MJ. Association of fatigue and depression with circulating levels of proinflammatory cytokines and epidermal growth factor receptor ligands: a correlative study of a placebo-controlled fatigue trial. Cancer Manag Res 2017; 9:1-10. [PMID: 28203105 PMCID: PMC5295802 DOI: 10.2147/cmar.s115835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Context The biology of fatigue and depression in cancer patients is poorly understood. Hypotheses regarding cytokines and growth factors related to sickness behavior and disruption of circadian signaling have been proposed. Objectives We prospectively examined proinflammatory cytokines (e.g., sickness behavior model) and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) ligands (e.g., circadian disruption model) in the serum of cancer patients enrolled in a clinical trial testing levocarnitine for fatigue. Methods Serum samples were collected at baseline and week 4. Cytokine/growth factor analyses were performed with a Luminex analyzer. The Brief Fatigue Index and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Index were used to measure fatigue and depression severity. The association between cytokine and symptoms was examined using logistic models. Results Among 101 analyzable patients, all ten cytokines/growth factors examined were highly elevated at baseline and all significantly decreased at week 4 (p<0.001) regardless of treatment intervention. At baseline, the odds of severe fatigue significantly increased for patients with higher level of interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra), whereas patients with higher levels of IL-1Ra, tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, interferon-γ, transforming growth factor α, and vascular endothelial growth factor had higher odds of severe depression. At week 4, fatigue (p=0.023) and depression (p=0.007) responders had less decrease in IL-1 level than the corresponding non-responders. Conclusion In this correlative analysis of a fatigue clinical trial, levels of fatigue were significantly associated with levels of IL-1 and IL-1Ra. Circadian-signaling pathways related to EGFR signaling were correlated with depression as were other cytokines. A major placebo effect was associated with a global decrease in cytokine and growth factors. These data provide further basis for testing hypotheses regarding the mechanisms of fatigue and depression in cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tyvin Rich
- Hampton University Proton Therapy Institute, Hampton, VA
| | | | | | - David Cella
- Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL
| | | | - Michael J Fisch
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
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Depressive Symptoms and Momentary Mood Predict Momentary Pain Among Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients. Ann Behav Med 2016; 50:12-23. [PMID: 26272466 DOI: 10.1007/s12160-015-9723-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although a relationship between mood and pain has been established cross-sectionally, little research has examined this relationship using momentary within-person data. PURPOSE We examined whether baseline depressive symptoms and within-person levels of negative and positive mood predicted momentary pain among 31 individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS Depressive symptomatology was measured at baseline. Mood and RA symptoms were self-reported via ecological momentary assessment five times a day for seven consecutive days. Analyses controlled for gender, age, weekend day, time of day, and experiences of stress. RESULTS Greater momentary positive mood was associated with less momentary pain and fewer arthritis-related restrictions; negative mood was associated with more restrictions. Greater depressive symptomatology also predicted more pain and restrictions, an effect which was not accounted for by mood. CONCLUSIONS Results suggest that both depression and mood are uniquely associated with momentary pain; as such, multi-component interventions may provide optimal disease management.
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Louw A, Zimney K, Landers MR, Luttrell M, Clair B, Mills J. A randomised controlled trial of 'clockwise' ultrasound for low back pain. SOUTH AFRICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOTHERAPY 2016; 72:306. [PMID: 30135888 PMCID: PMC6093130 DOI: 10.4102/sajp.v72i1.306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2015] [Accepted: 04/17/2016] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Aims To examine how the choice of words explaining ultrasound (US) may influence the outcome of physiotherapy treatment for low back pain (LBP). Methods Sixty-seven patients with LBP < 3 months were randomly allocated to one of three groups – traditional education about US (control group [CG]), inflated education about US (experimental group [EG]) or extra-inflated education about US (extra-experimental group [EEG]). Each patient received the exact same application of US that has shown clinical efficacy for LBP (1.5 Watts/cm2 for 10 minutes at 1 Megahertz, pulsed 20% over a 20 cm2 area), but received different explanations (CG, EG or EEG). Before and immediately after US, measurements of LBP and leg pain (numeric rating scale), lumbar flexion (distance to floor) and straight leg raise (SLR) (inclinometer) were taken. Statistical analysis consisted of mixed-factorial analyses of variance and chi-square analyses to measure differences between the three groups, as well as meeting or exceeding minimal detectable changes (MDCs) for pain, lumbar flexion and SLR. Results Both EG and EEG groups showed a statistically significant improvement for SLR (p < 0.0001), while the CG did not. The EEG group participants were 4.4 times (95% confidence interval: 1.1 to 17.5) more likely to improve beyond the MDC than the CG. No significant differences were found between the groups for LBP, leg pain or lumbar flexion. Conclusion The choice of words when applying a treatment in physiotherapy can alter the efficacy of the treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriaan Louw
- International Spine & Pain Institute, United States.,Department of Physical Therapy, School of Allied Health Sciences, University of Nevada Las Vegas, United States.,Department of Physical Therapy, St. Ambrose University, United States
| | - Kory Zimney
- International Spine & Pain Institute, United States.,Department of Physical Therapy, School of Health Sciences, University of South Dakota, United States
| | - Merrill R Landers
- Department of Physical Therapy, School of Allied Health Sciences, University of Nevada Las Vegas, United States
| | | | - Bob Clair
- Clair Physical Therapy, United States
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Puentedura EJ, Flynn T. Combining manual therapy with pain neuroscience education in the treatment of chronic low back pain: A narrative review of the literature. Physiother Theory Pract 2016; 32:408-14. [PMID: 27362980 DOI: 10.1080/09593985.2016.1194663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Teaching people with chronic low back pain (CLBP) about the neurobiology and neurophysiology of their pain is referred to as pain neuroscience education (PNE). There is growing evidence that when PNE is provided to patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain, it can result in decreased pain, pain catastrophization, disability, and improved physical performance. Because the aim of PNE is to shift the patient's focus from the tissues in the low back as the source of their pain to the brain's interpretation of inputs, many clinicians could mistakenly believe that PNE should be a "hands-off," education-only approach. An argument can be made that by providing manual therapy or exercise to address local tissue pathology, the patient's focus could be brought back to the low back tissues as the source of their problem. In this narrative literature review, we present the case for a balanced approach that combines PNE with manual therapy and exercise by considering how manual therapy can also be incorporated for interventions with patients with CLBP. We propose that as well as producing local mechanical effects, providing manual therapy within a PNE context can be seen as meeting or perhaps enhancing patient expectations, and also refreshing or sharpening body schema maps within the brain. Ideally, all of this should lead to better outcomes in patients with CLBP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emilio J Puentedura
- a Department of Physical Therapy , University of Nevada, Las Vegas , Las Vegas , NV , USA
| | - Timothy Flynn
- b School of Physical Therapy , South College , Knoxville , TN , USA
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Testa M, Rossettini G. Enhance placebo, avoid nocebo: How contextual factors affect physiotherapy outcomes. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 24:65-74. [PMID: 27133031 DOI: 10.1016/j.math.2016.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 134] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2016] [Revised: 04/11/2016] [Accepted: 04/12/2016] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Placebo and nocebo represent complex and distinct psychoneurobiological phenomena in which behavioural and neurophysiological modifications occur together with the application of a treatment. Despite a better understanding of this topic in the medical field, little is known about their role in physiotherapy. PURPOSE The aim of this review is: a) to elucidate the neurobiology behind placebo and nocebo effects, b) to describe the role of the contextual factors as modulators of the clinical outcomes in rehabilitation and c) to provide clinical and research guidelines on their uses. IMPLICATIONS The physiotherapist's features, the patient's features, the patient-physiotherapist relationship, the characteristics of the treatment and the overall healthcare setting are all contextual factors influencing clinical outcomes. Since every physiotherapy treatment determines a specific and a contextual effect, physiotherapists should manage the contextual factors as a boosting element of any manual therapy to improve placebo effects and avoid detrimental nocebo effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Testa
- Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health, University of Genova, Campus of Savona, Italy.
| | - Giacomo Rossettini
- Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health, University of Genova, Campus of Savona, Italy
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The Effects of Positive or Neutral Communication during Acupuncture for Relaxing Effects: A Sham-Controlled Randomized Trial. EVIDENCE-BASED COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE 2016; 2016:3925878. [PMID: 26981138 PMCID: PMC4766336 DOI: 10.1155/2016/3925878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2015] [Accepted: 01/12/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Introduction. The link between patient-clinician communication and its effect on clinical outcomes is an important clinical issue that is yet to be elucidated. Objective. Investigating if communication type (positive or neutral) about the expected treatment outcome affected (i) participants' expectations and (ii) short-term relaxation effects in response to genuine or sham acupuncture and investigating if expectations were related to outcome. Methods. Healthy volunteers (n = 243, mean age of 42) were randomized to one treatment with genuine or sham acupuncture. Within groups, participants were randomized to positive or neutral communication, regarding expected treatment effects. Visual Analogue Scales (0–100 millimeters) were used to measure treatment expectations and relaxation, directly before and after treatment. Results. Participants in the positive communication group reported higher treatment expectancy, compared to the neutral communication group (md 12 versus 6 mm, p = 0.002). There was no difference in relaxation effects between acupuncture groups or between communication groups. Participants with high baseline expectancy perceived greater improvement in relaxation, compared to participants with low baseline levels (md 27 versus 15 mm, p = 0.022). Conclusion. Our data highlights the importance of expectations for treatment outcome and demonstrates that expectations can be effectively manipulated using a standardized protocol that in future research may be implemented in clinical trials.
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Placebo analgesia and its opioidergic regulation suggest that empathy for pain is grounded in self pain. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2015; 112:E5638-46. [PMID: 26417092 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1511269112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 142] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Empathy for pain activates brain areas partially overlapping with those underpinning the first-hand experience of pain. It remains unclear, however, whether such shared activations imply that pain empathy engages similar neural functions as first-hand pain experiences. To overcome the limitations of previous neuroimaging research, we pursued a conceptually novel approach: we used the phenomenon of placebo analgesia to experimentally reduce the first-hand experience of pain, and assessed whether this results in a concomitant reduction of empathy for pain. We first carried out a functional MRI experiment (n = 102) that yielded results in the expected direction: participants experiencing placebo analgesia also reported decreased empathy for pain, and this was associated with reduced engagement of anterior insular and midcingulate cortex: that is, areas previously associated with shared activations in pain and empathy for pain. In a second step, we used a psychopharmacological manipulation (n = 50) to determine whether these effects can be blocked via an opioid antagonist. The administration of the opioid antagonist naltrexone blocked placebo analgesia and also resulted in a corresponding "normalization" of empathy for pain. Taken together, these findings suggest that pain empathy may be associated with neural responses and neurotransmitter activity engaged during first-hand pain, and thus might indeed be grounded in our own pain experiences.
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Tracy LM, Georgiou-Karistianis N, Gibson SJ, Giummarra MJ. Oxytocin and the modulation of pain experience: Implications for chronic pain management. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2015; 55:53-67. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2015.04.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2014] [Revised: 04/10/2015] [Accepted: 04/25/2015] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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Does adherence to treatment mediate the relationship between patients' treatment outcome expectancies and the outcomes of pain intensity and recovery from acute low back pain? Pain 2015; 156:1530-1536. [DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000000198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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45
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Hall KT, Loscalzo J, Kaptchuk TJ. Genetics and the placebo effect: the placebome. Trends Mol Med 2015; 21:285-94. [PMID: 25883069 DOI: 10.1016/j.molmed.2015.02.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 152] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2014] [Revised: 02/19/2015] [Accepted: 02/24/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Placebos are indispensable controls in randomized clinical trials (RCTs), and placebo responses significantly contribute to routine clinical outcomes. Recent neurophysiological studies reveal neurotransmitter pathways that mediate placebo effects. Evidence that genetic variations in these pathways can modify placebo effects raises the possibility of using genetic screening to identify placebo responders and thereby increase RCT efficacy and improve therapeutic care. Furthermore, the possibility of interaction between placebo and drug molecular pathways warrants consideration in RCT design. The study of genomic effects on placebo response, 'the placebome', is in its infancy. Here, we review evidence from placebo studies and RCTs to identify putative genes in the placebome, examine evidence for placebo-drug interactions, and discuss implications for RCTs and clinical care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn T Hall
- Program in Placebo Studies, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Department of Medicine, Division of General Medicine and Primary Care, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
| | - Joseph Loscalzo
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Ted J Kaptchuk
- Program in Placebo Studies, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Department of Medicine, Division of General Medicine and Primary Care, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
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Cortelli SC, Costa FO, Rodrigues E, Cota LOM, Cortelli JR. Periodontal Therapy Effects on Nitrite Related to Oral Bacteria: A 6-Month Randomized Clinical Trial. J Periodontol 2015; 86:984-94. [PMID: 25811847 DOI: 10.1902/jop.2015.140678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Nitrite is a biologic factor relevant to oral and systemic homeostasis. Through an oral bacteria reduction process, it was suggested that periodontal therapy and chlorhexidine (CHX) rinse could affect nitrite levels, leading to negative effects, such as an increase in blood pressure. This 6-month randomized clinical trial evaluated the effects of periodontal therapeutic protocols on salivary nitrite and its relation to subgingival bacteria. METHODS One hundred patients with periodontitis were allocated randomly to debridement procedures in four weekly sections (quadrant scaling [QS]) or within 24 hours (full-mouth scaling [FMS]) in conjunction with a 60-day CHX (QS + CHX and FMS + CHX), placebo (QS + placebo and FMS + placebo), or no mouthrinse (QS + none and FMS + none) use. Real-time polymerase chain reaction determined total bacterial, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tannerella forsythia, Treponema denticola, Streptococcus oralis, and Actinomyces naeslundii levels. Salivary nitrite concentration was determined with Griess reagent. Data were analyzed statistically at baseline and 3 and 6 months by analysis of variance, Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney U, and Spearman correlation tests (P <0.05). RESULTS Nitrite concentrations did not tend to change over time. Regarding CHX use, there was a negative correlation between nitrite and total bacterial load at 6 months (FMS + CHX) and one positive correlation between P. gingivalis and nitrite at baseline (QS + CHX). Independently of rinse type, in the FMS group, nitrite correlated negatively with several microbial parameters and also with a higher percentage of deep periodontal pockets. CONCLUSIONS The relationship between nitrite and bacterial levels appears weak. Short-term scaling exhibited a greater influence on nitrite concentrations then long-term CHX use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheila C Cortelli
- Nucleus of Periodontal Research, Dental School, University of Taubaté, Taubaté, São Paulo, Brazil.,Dental School, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Fernando O Costa
- Periodontal Department, Dental School, Federal University of Minas Gerais
| | - Edson Rodrigues
- Biochemistry Department, Institute of Biosciences, University of Taubaté
| | - Luis O M Cota
- Periodontal Department, Dental School, Federal University of Minas Gerais
| | - Jose R Cortelli
- Nucleus of Periodontal Research, Dental School, University of Taubaté, Taubaté, São Paulo, Brazil
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Rattray B, Argus C, Martin K, Northey J, Driller M. Is it time to turn our attention toward central mechanisms for post-exertional recovery strategies and performance? Front Physiol 2015; 6:79. [PMID: 25852568 PMCID: PMC4362407 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2015.00079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2014] [Accepted: 02/27/2015] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Key PointsCentral fatigue is accepted as a contributor to overall athletic performance, yet little research directly investigates post-exercise recovery strategies targeting the brain Current post-exercise recovery strategies likely impact on the brain through a range of mechanisms, but improvements to these strategies is needed Research is required to optimize post-exercise recovery with a focus on the brain
Post-exercise recovery has largely focused on peripheral mechanisms of fatigue, but there is growing acceptance that fatigue is also contributed to through central mechanisms which demands that attention should be paid to optimizing recovery of the brain. In this narrative review we assemble evidence for the role that many currently utilized recovery strategies may have on the brain, as well as potential mechanisms for their action. The review provides discussion of how common nutritional strategies as well as physical modalities and methods to reduce mental fatigue are likely to interact with the brain, and offer an opportunity for subsequent improved performance. We aim to highlight the fact that many recovery strategies have been designed with the periphery in mind, and that refinement of current methods are likely to provide improvements in minimizing brain fatigue. Whilst we offer a number of recommendations, it is evident that there are many opportunities for improving the research, and practical guidelines in this area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Rattray
- Discipline of Sport and Exercise Science, Faculty of Health, University of Canberra Canberra, ACT, Australia ; University of Canberra Research Institute for Sport and Exercise, University of Canberra Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Christos Argus
- University of Canberra Research Institute for Sport and Exercise, University of Canberra Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Kristy Martin
- Discipline of Sport and Exercise Science, Faculty of Health, University of Canberra Canberra, ACT, Australia ; University of Canberra Research Institute for Sport and Exercise, University of Canberra Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Joseph Northey
- Discipline of Sport and Exercise Science, Faculty of Health, University of Canberra Canberra, ACT, Australia ; University of Canberra Research Institute for Sport and Exercise, University of Canberra Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Matthew Driller
- Department of Sport and Leisure Studies, The University of Waikato Hamilton, New Zealand
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Abstract
Placebo-induced performance enhancement is a new controversial issue in competitive sports. Coaches have control over the use of placebos, but their practices and attitudes were barely studied to date. In this survey 96 coaches from regional, national and international levels were asked about their practices and attitudes concerning placebo use in sports. Results revealed that 90% of the respondents were aware of placebo effects. Many (44%) coaches admitted to administering a placebo to their athletes. Those working at international level have administered placebos more often than the others (P = .02). Two thirds of the coaches agreed to the wider use of placebos in sport. Respondents who have used placebos in the past reported improved athletic performance. They also agreed more to the wider use of placebos than the coaches who previously did not use a placebo (P = .001). Team sport coaches use more often placebos than coaches working with individual athletes (P = .05). Only 10% of the sample thought that their athletes would refuse a hypothetical performance enhancer supplied by them. After a successful placebo intervention, only 15% of the coaches would administer it again without consulting the athlete. Overall, the coaches are optimistic about placebo use in sports. Close to half of them, especially those coaching at higher levels of competition, may use it regularly while achieving positive results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Attila Szabo
- a Faculty of Education and Psychology , Institute of Health Promotion and Sport Sciences, Eötvös Loránd University , Budapest , Hungary
| | - Anna Müller
- a Faculty of Education and Psychology , Institute of Health Promotion and Sport Sciences, Eötvös Loránd University , Budapest , Hungary
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Effective connectivity predicts future placebo analgesic response: A dynamic causal modeling study of pain processing in healthy controls. Neuroimage 2015; 110:87-94. [PMID: 25659463 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2015.01.056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2014] [Revised: 12/18/2014] [Accepted: 01/27/2015] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
A better understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying pain processing and analgesia may aid in the development and personalization of effective treatments for chronic pain. Clarification of the neural predictors of individual variability in placebo analgesia (PA) could aid in this process. The present study examined whether the strength of effective connectivity (EC) among pain-related brain regions could predict future placebo analgesic response in healthy individuals. In Visit 1, fMRI data were collected from 24 healthy subjects (13 females, mean age=22.56, SD=2.94) while experiencing painful thermal stimuli. During Visit 2, subjects were conditioned to expect less pain via a surreptitiously lowered temperature applied at two of the four sites on their feet. They were subsequently scanned again using the Visit 1 (painful) temperature. Subjects used an electronic VAS to rate their pain following each stimulus. Differences in ratings at conditioned and unconditioned sites were used to measure placebo response (PA scores). Dynamic causal modeling was used to estimate the EC among a set of brain regions related to pain processing at Visit 1 (periaqueductal gray, thalamus, rostral anterior cingulate cortex, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex). Individual PA scores from Visit 2 were regressed on salient EC parameter estimates from Visit 1. Results indicate that both greater left hemisphere modulatory DLPFC➔PAG connectivity and right hemisphere, endogenous thalamus➔DLPFC connectivity were significantly predictive of future placebo response (R(2)=0.82). To our knowledge, this is the first study to identify the value of EC in understanding individual differences in PA, and may suggest the potential modifiability of endogenous pain modulation.
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Zaccara G, Giovannelli F, Schmidt D. Placebo and nocebo responses in drug trials of epilepsy. Epilepsy Behav 2015; 43:128-34. [PMID: 25703333 DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2014.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2014] [Revised: 12/02/2014] [Accepted: 12/04/2014] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Placebo response can be defined as any therapeutic change on placebo, while the nocebo response is any ill effect during placebo exposure. Several meta-analytic approaches have investigated the extent of placebo response in randomized, placebo-controlled, clinical trials of focal epilepsies. Placebo response rates (proportion of patients with ≥50% improvement of seizures versus baseline) ranging from 9.9% up to 15.2% have been reported. Interestingly, a sham response of 15.8% has been noted in trials of transcranial magnetic stimulation. Recently, nocebo response rates of 60.3% and 3.9% were noted, which were defined as the proportion of patients with adverse events (AEs) and those withdrawing because of intolerable AEs, respectively. Factors which were found to influence placebo response were as follows: the year of publication (with more recent studies showing higher rates of placebo response), some clinical characteristics of recruited patients (lower placebo response rates with a history of 7 or more prior lifetime AEDs, a high baseline seizure frequency, prior epilepsy surgery, and higher age at diagnosis), trial design and statistical analysis, and whether studies have been conducted in children or adults. Furthermore, placebo and nocebo rates were correlated with respective seizure outcome and adverse events of the experimental AED. Several mechanisms of placebo and nocebo responses are discussed. Specifically, the role of positive or negative expectations of patients and of investigators may influence the placebo and the nocebo response. Finally, recommendations are given on how to address placebo and nocebo responses in clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaetano Zaccara
- Unit of Neurology, Department of Medicine, Florence Health Authority, Firenze, Italy.
| | - Fabio Giovannelli
- Unit of Neurology, Department of Medicine, Florence Health Authority, Firenze, Italy; Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Pharmacology and Child Health (NEUROFARBA), University of Florence, Firenze, Italy
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