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Guevarra DA, Webster CT, Moros JN, Kross E, Moser JS. Remotely administered non-deceptive placebos reduce COVID-related stress, anxiety, and depression. Appl Psychol Health Well Being 2024. [PMID: 39143695 DOI: 10.1111/aphw.12583] [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: 07/09/2023] [Accepted: 07/09/2024] [Indexed: 08/16/2024]
Abstract
Research suggests that placebos administered without deception (i.e. non-deceptive placebos) may provide an effective and low-effort intervention to manage stress and improve mental health. However, whether non-deceptive placebos administered remotely online can manage distress for people at risk for developing high levels of affective symptoms remains unclear. Volunteers experiencing prolonged stress from the COVID-19 pandemic were recruited into a randomized controlled trial to examine the efficacy of a non-deceptive placebo intervention administered remotely online on affective outcomes. COVID-related stress, overall stress, anxiety, and depression were assessed at baseline, midpoint, and endpoint. Compared with the control group, participants in the non-deceptive placebo group reported significant reductions from baseline in all primary affective outcomes after 2 weeks. Additionally, participants in the non-deceptive placebo group found the intervention feasible, acceptable, and appropriate for the context. Non-deceptive placebos, even when administered remotely online, offer an alternative and effective way to help people manage prolonged stress. Future large-scale studies are needed to determine if non-deceptive placebos can be effective across different prolonged stress situations and for clinical populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darwin A Guevarra
- Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, USA
- University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | | | - Jade N Moros
- Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Ethan Kross
- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Jason S Moser
- Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
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2
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Huneke NTM, Cross C, Fagan HA, Molteni L, Phillips N, Garner M, Baldwin DS. Placebo Effects Are Small on Average in the 7.5% CO2 Inhalational Model of Generalized Anxiety. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 2024; 27:pyae019. [PMID: 38577951 PMCID: PMC11059817 DOI: 10.1093/ijnp/pyae019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Anxiety disorders are highly prevalent and socio-economically costly. Novel pharmacological treatments for these disorders are needed because many patients do not respond to current agents or experience unwanted side effects. However, a barrier to treatment development is the variable and large placebo response rate seen in trials of novel anxiolytics. Despite this, the mechanisms that drive placebo responses in anxiety disorders have been little investigated, possibly due to low availability of convenient experimental paradigms. We aimed to develop and test a novel protocol for inducing placebo anxiolysis in the 7.5% CO2 inhalational model of generalized anxiety in healthy volunteers. METHODS Following a baseline 20-minute CO2 challenge, 32 healthy volunteers were administered a placebo intranasal spray labelled as either the anxiolytic "lorazepam" or "saline." Following this, participants surreptitiously underwent a 20-minute inhalation of normal air. Post-conditioning, a second dose of the placebo was administered, after which participants completed another CO2 challenge. RESULTS Participants administered sham "lorazepam" reported significant positive expectations of reduced anxiety (P = .001), but there was no group-level placebo effect on anxiety following CO2 challenge post-conditioning (Ps > .350). Surprisingly, we found many participants exhibited unexpected worsening of anxiety, despite positive expectations. CONCLUSIONS Contrary to our hypothesis, our novel paradigm did not induce a placebo response, on average. It is possible that effects of 7.5% CO2 inhalation on prefrontal cortex function or behavior in line with a Bayesian predictive coding framework attenuated the effect of expectations on subsequent placebo response. Future studies are needed to explore these possibilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan T M Huneke
- Southern Health National Health Service Foundation Trust, Southampton, UK
- Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, UK
- University Department of Psychiatry, Academic Centre, College Keep, Southampton, UK
| | - Cosmina Cross
- Southern Health National Health Service Foundation Trust, Southampton, UK
| | - Harry A Fagan
- Southern Health National Health Service Foundation Trust, Southampton, UK
- Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, UK
- University Department of Psychiatry, Academic Centre, College Keep, Southampton, UK
| | - Laura Molteni
- Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, UK
- University Department of Psychiatry, Academic Centre, College Keep, Southampton, UK
| | | | - Matthew Garner
- Center for Innovation in Mental Health, School of Psychology, Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Southampton, UK
- University Department of Psychiatry, Academic Centre, College Keep, Southampton, UK
| | - David S Baldwin
- University Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Southern Health National Health Service Foundation Trust, Southampton, UK
- Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, UK
- University Department of Psychiatry, Academic Centre, College Keep, Southampton, UK
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3
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Schienle A, Kogler W, Seibel A, Wabnegger A. The pill you don't have to take that is still effective: neural correlates of imaginary placebo intake for regulating disgust. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2024; 19:nsae021. [PMID: 38450743 PMCID: PMC11227952 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsae021] [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: 11/06/2023] [Revised: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024] Open
Abstract
A commonly established protocol for the administration of open-label placebos (OLPs)-placebos honestly prescribed-emphasizes the necessity of ingesting the pill for the placebo effect to manifest. The current functional magnetic resonance imaging study used a novel approach to OLP administration: the imaginary intake of an OLP pill for regulating disgust. A total of 99 females were randomly allocated to one of three groups that either swallowed a placebo pill (OLP Pill), imagined the intake of a placebo pill (Imaginary Pill) or passively viewed (PV) repulsive and neutral images. The imaginary pill reduced reported disgust more effectively than the OLP pill and was also perceived as a more plausible method to reduce emotional distress. Relative to the OLP pill, the imaginary pill lowered neural activity in a region of interest involved in disgust processing: the pallidum. No significant differences in brain activation were found when comparing the OLP pill with PV. These findings highlight that imagining the intake of an OLP emerged as a superior method for regulating feelings of disgust compared to the actual ingestion of a placebo pill. The study's innovative approach sheds new light on the potential of placebo interventions in emotion regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Schienle
- Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Graz, Universitaetsplatz 2, Graz 8010, Austria
| | - Wolfgang Kogler
- Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Graz, Universitaetsplatz 2, Graz 8010, Austria
| | - Arved Seibel
- Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Graz, Universitaetsplatz 2, Graz 8010, Austria
| | - Albert Wabnegger
- Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Graz, Universitaetsplatz 2, Graz 8010, Austria
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4
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Liu T, Yu CP. How Do Expectations Modulate Pain? A Motivational Perspective. PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2023; 18:1508-1519. [PMID: 37369088 DOI: 10.1177/17456916231178701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/29/2023]
Abstract
Expectations can profoundly modulate pain experience, during which the periaqueductal gray (PAG) plays a pivotal role. In this article, we focus on motivationally evoked neural activations in cortical and brainstem regions both before and during stimulus administration, as has been demonstrated by experimental studies on pain-modulatory effects of expectations, in the hope of unraveling how the PAG is involved in descending and ascending nociceptive processes. This motivational perspective on expectancy effects on the perception of noxious stimuli sheds new light on psychological and neuronal substrates of pain and its modulation, thus having important research and clinical implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Liu
- The Second Teaching Hospital, University of Jilin
| | - Cui-Ping Yu
- Department of Basic Medicine, Changchun Medical College
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5
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Borgomaneri S, Zanon M, Di Luzio P, Cataneo A, Arcara G, Romei V, Tamietto M, Avenanti A. Increasing associative plasticity in temporo-occipital back-projections improves visual perception of emotions. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5720. [PMID: 37737239 PMCID: PMC10517146 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41058-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS) is a critical node in a network specialized for perceiving emotional facial expressions that is reciprocally connected with early visual cortices (V1/V2). Current models of perceptual decision-making increasingly assign relevance to recursive processing for visual recognition. However, it is unknown whether inducing plasticity into reentrant connections from pSTS to V1/V2 impacts emotion perception. Using a combination of electrophysiological and neurostimulation methods, we demonstrate that strengthening the connectivity from pSTS to V1/V2 selectively increases the ability to perceive facial expressions associated with emotions. This behavior is associated with increased electrophysiological activity in both these brain regions, particularly in V1/V2, and depends on specific temporal parameters of stimulation that follow Hebbian principles. Therefore, we provide evidence that pSTS-to-V1/V2 back-projections are instrumental to perception of emotion from facial stimuli and functionally malleable via manipulation of associative plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Borgomaneri
- Centro studi e ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia "Renzo Canestrari", Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Cesena Campus, Cesena, Italy.
| | - Marco Zanon
- Centro studi e ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia "Renzo Canestrari", Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Cesena Campus, Cesena, Italy
- Neuroscience Area, International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
| | - Paolo Di Luzio
- Centro studi e ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia "Renzo Canestrari", Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Cesena Campus, Cesena, Italy
| | - Antonio Cataneo
- Centro studi e ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia "Renzo Canestrari", Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Cesena Campus, Cesena, Italy
| | | | - Vincenzo Romei
- Centro studi e ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia "Renzo Canestrari", Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Cesena Campus, Cesena, Italy
- Facultad de Lenguas y Educación, Universidad Antonio de Nebrija, Madrid, 28015, Spain
| | - Marco Tamietto
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università degli Studi di Torino, Torino, Italy.
- Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands.
| | - Alessio Avenanti
- Centro studi e ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia "Renzo Canestrari", Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Cesena Campus, Cesena, Italy.
- Centro de Investigación en Neuropsicología y Neurociencias Cognitivas, Universidad Católica del Maule, Talca, Chile.
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Kang H, Miksche MS, Ellingsen DM. Association between personality traits and placebo effects: a preregistered systematic review and meta-analysis. Pain 2023; 164:494-508. [PMID: 35947877 DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT Placebo effects are ubiquitous yet highly variable between individuals and therefore strongly affect clinical trial outcomes such as pain relief. It is unclear whether dispositional psychological traits influence responsiveness to placebo. This preregistered meta-analysis and systematic review synthesized the literature investigating the association between personality traits and placebo effects. Based on 21 studies with 798 participants, we performed formal meta-analyses for 10 different personality traits, including behavioral inhibition, fun seeking, goal-drive persistence, reward responsiveness, empathic concern, empathic fantasy, perspective-taking, personal distress, optimism, and anxiety. We did not find evidence of associations between any of these traits and magnitude of placebo effects, which was supported by equivalence tests. Furthermore, we did not find evidence for moderating factors such as placebo manipulation type (conditioning or nonconditioning) or condition (pain or nonpain). These findings challenge the notion that personality influences responsiveness to placebos and contradict its utility for identifying placebo "responders" and "nonresponders."
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Affiliation(s)
- Heemin Kang
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Norway
- Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | | | - Dan-Mikael Ellingsen
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Norway
- Division of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Department of Physics and Computational Radiology, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- School of Health Sciences, Kristiania University College, Oslo, Norway
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Harnessing the placebo effect to enhance emotion regulation effectiveness and choice. Sci Rep 2023; 13:2373. [PMID: 36759537 PMCID: PMC9911767 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-29045-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2022] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The placebo effect demonstrates how positive expectancies shape the effectiveness of various treatments. Across studies, placebo treatments are interventions (creams, pills, etc.) that are presented to individuals as, and are learned to be, beneficial for them. This study tested whether placebo-induced expectancies can be harnessed to improve individuals' internal emotion regulation attempts. Participants implemented two types of distraction, an emotion regulation strategy involving attentional disengagement, to attenuate fear of pain. In a typical conditioning paradigm, the placebo-distraction was introduced as an effective strategy (verbal suggestion) and was surreptitiously paired with reduced pain (conditioning), whereas the control-distraction was introduced as noneffective and was surreptitiously paired with increased pain. As predicted, we found that during a later test phase, where pain intensity was identical, the placebo-distraction resulted in reduced self-reported fear of pain, relative to the control-distraction. Moreover, we utilized a robust behavioral choice measure, demonstrating increased preferences for the placebo-distraction. We additionally tested whether these effects generalize to a different emotional context of fear of unpleasant pictures. In that context, the placebo-distraction was as effective as the control-distraction, but was substantially preferred. This study demonstrates that the placebo effect can be expanded to include individuals' internal attempts to influence their conditions.
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Chirumamilla VC, Gonzalez-Escamilla G, Meyer B, Anwar AR, Ding H, Radetz A, Bonertz T, Groppa S, Muthuraman M. Inhibitory and excitatory responses in the dorso-medial prefrontal cortex during threat processing. Front Neurosci 2023; 16:1065469. [PMID: 36699539 PMCID: PMC9868831 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.1065469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective To evaluate cortical excitability during instructed threat processing. Methods Single and paired transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) pulses were applied to the right dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) during high-density electroencephalography (EEG) recording in young healthy participants (n = 17) performing an instructed threat paradigm in which one of two conditioned stimuli (CS+ but not CS-) was paired with an electric shock (unconditioned stimulus [US]). We assessed TMS-induced EEG responses with spectral power (both at electrode and source level) and information flow (effective connectivity) using Time-resolved Partial Directed Coherence (TPDC). Support vector regression (SVR) was used to predict behavioral fear ratings for CS+ based on TMS impact on excitability. Results During intracortical facilitation (ICF), frontal lobe theta power was enhanced for CS+ compared to single pulse TMS for the time window 0-0.5 s after TMS pulse onset (t(16) = 3.9, p < 0.05). At source level, ICF led to an increase and short intracortical inhibition (SICI) to a decrease of theta power in the bilateral dmPFC, relative to single pulse TMS during 0-0.5 s. Compared to single pulse TMS, ICF increased information flows, whereas SICI reduced the information flows in theta band between dmPFC, amygdala, and hippocampus (all at p < 0.05). The magnitude of information flows between dmPFC to amygdala and dmPFC to hippocampus during ICF (0-0.5 s), predicted individual behavioral fear ratings (CS+; coefficient above 0.75). Conclusion Distinct excitatory and inhibitory mechanisms take place in the dmPFC. These findings may facilitate future research attempting to investigate inhibitory/facilitatory mechanisms alterations in psychiatric disorders and their behavioral correlates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Venkata C. Chirumamilla
- Section of Movement Disorders and Neurostimulation, Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neuroscience (FTN), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Gabriel Gonzalez-Escamilla
- Section of Movement Disorders and Neurostimulation, Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neuroscience (FTN), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Benjamin Meyer
- Neuroimaging Center Mainz, Focus Program Translational Neuroscience (FTN), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Abdul Rauf Anwar
- Section of Movement Disorders and Neurostimulation, Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neuroscience (FTN), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Hao Ding
- Section of Movement Disorders and Neurostimulation, Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neuroscience (FTN), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Angela Radetz
- Section of Movement Disorders and Neurostimulation, Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neuroscience (FTN), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Tamara Bonertz
- Section of Movement Disorders and Neurostimulation, Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neuroscience (FTN), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Sergiu Groppa
- Section of Movement Disorders and Neurostimulation, Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neuroscience (FTN), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Muthuraman Muthuraman
- Section of Movement Disorders and Neurostimulation, Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neuroscience (FTN), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany,*Correspondence: Muthuraman Muthuraman,
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9
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Cautionary Observations Concerning the Introduction of Psychophysiological Biomarkers into Neuropsychiatric Practice. PSYCHIATRY INTERNATIONAL 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/psychiatryint3020015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The combination of statistical learning technologies with large databases of psychophysiological data has appropriately generated enthusiastic interest in future clinical applicability. It is argued here that this enthusiasm should be tempered with the understanding that significant obstacles must be overcome before the systematic introduction of psychophysiological measures into neuropsychiatric practice becomes possible. The objective of this study is to identify challenges to this effort. The nonspecificity of psychophysiological measures complicates their use in diagnosis. Low test-retest reliability complicates use in longitudinal assessment, and quantitative psychophysiological measures can normalize in response to placebo intervention. Ten cautionary observations are introduced and, in some instances, possible directions for remediation are suggested.
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10
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Ellwardt E, Muthuraman M, Gonzalez-Escamilla G, Chirumamilla VC, Luessi F, Bittner S, Zipp F, Groppa S, Fleischer V. Network alterations underlying anxiety symptoms in early multiple sclerosis. J Neuroinflammation 2022; 19:119. [PMID: 35610651 PMCID: PMC9131528 DOI: 10.1186/s12974-022-02476-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2021] [Accepted: 05/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Anxiety, often seen as comorbidity in multiple sclerosis (MS), is a frequent neuropsychiatric symptom and essentially affects the overall disease burden. Here, we aimed to decipher anxiety-related networks functionally connected to atrophied areas in patients suffering from MS. METHODS Using 3-T MRI, anxiety-related atrophy maps were generated by correlating longitudinal cortical thinning with the severity of anxiety symptoms in MS patients. To determine brain regions functionally connected to these maps, we applied a technique termed "atrophy network mapping". Thereby, the anxiety-related atrophy maps were projected onto a large normative connectome (n = 1000) performing seed-based functional connectivity. Finally, an instructed threat paradigm was conducted with regard to neural excitability and effective connectivity, using transcranial magnetic stimulation combined with high-density electroencephalography. RESULTS Thinning of the left dorsal prefrontal cortex was the only region that was associated with higher anxiety levels. Atrophy network mapping identified functional involvement of bilateral prefrontal cortex as well as amygdala and hippocampus. Structural equation modeling confirmed that the volumes of these brain regions were significant determinants that influence anxiety symptoms in MS. We additionally identified reduced information flow between the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala at rest, and pathologically increased excitability in the prefrontal cortex in MS patients as compared to controls. CONCLUSION Anxiety-related prefrontal cortical atrophy in MS leads to a specific network alteration involving structures that resemble known neurobiological anxiety circuits. These findings elucidate the emergence of anxiety as part of the disease pathology and might ultimately enable targeted treatment approaches modulating brain networks in MS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erik Ellwardt
- Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neuroscience (FTN), Rhine Main Neuroscience Network (rmn2), University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Muthuraman Muthuraman
- Biomedical Statistics and Multimodal Signal Processing Unit, Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neuroscience (FTN) Neuroimaging Center, Rhine Main Neuroscience Network (rmn2), University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Langenbeckstr. 1, 55131, Mainz, Germany.
| | - Gabriel Gonzalez-Escamilla
- Section of Movement Disorders and Neurostimulation, Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neuroscience (FTN), Rhine Main Neuroscience Network (rmn2), University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Venkata Chaitanya Chirumamilla
- Section of Movement Disorders and Neurostimulation, Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neuroscience (FTN), Rhine Main Neuroscience Network (rmn2), University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Felix Luessi
- Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neuroscience (FTN), Rhine Main Neuroscience Network (rmn2), University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Stefan Bittner
- Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neuroscience (FTN), Rhine Main Neuroscience Network (rmn2), University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Frauke Zipp
- Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neuroscience (FTN), Rhine Main Neuroscience Network (rmn2), University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Sergiu Groppa
- Section of Movement Disorders and Neurostimulation, Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neuroscience (FTN), Rhine Main Neuroscience Network (rmn2), University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Vinzenz Fleischer
- Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neuroscience (FTN), Rhine Main Neuroscience Network (rmn2), University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
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11
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Changes in neural processing and evaluation of negative facial expressions after administration of an open-label placebo. Sci Rep 2022; 12:6577. [PMID: 35449194 PMCID: PMC9023441 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-10567-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2022] [Accepted: 04/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
A recent event-related potential (ERP) study found that an open-label placebo (OLP) reduced emotional distress during the viewing of unpleasant scenes and the amplitude of the late positive potential (LPP). The present ERP experiment aimed at a conceptual replication of this finding and investigated OLP effects during affective face processing. The participants (109 females) were presented with images depicting angry and neutral facial expressions after the administration of a saline nasal spray. The spray was either introduced as a placebo that could help reduce the emotional reactions to viewing angry faces (OLP group) or to improve the electrophysiological recordings (Control group). The OLP was associated with reduced LPP amplitudes (1000-6000 ms) to anger expressions across a frontal cluster. Additionally, the OLP reduced LPP amplitudes (400-1000 ms) to both anger and neutral faces across a centroparietal cluster. Compared to the Control group, the OLP group reported less arousal when confronted with angry faces, and rated the anger expressions as less intense. This study demonstrates that an OLP can alter both subjective and neural responses to anger cues. Future research should directly compare OLP treatment with other strategies for emotion regulation (e.g., cognitive reappraisal) to demonstrate the specificity of this approach.
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12
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Psycho-Neuro-Endocrine-Immunological Basis of the Placebo Effect: Potential Applications beyond Pain Therapy. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23084196. [PMID: 35457014 PMCID: PMC9028312 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23084196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2022] [Revised: 04/03/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The placebo effect can be defined as the improvement of symptoms in a patient after the administration of an innocuous substance in a context that induces expectations regarding its effects. During recent years, it has been discovered that the placebo response not only has neurobiological functions on analgesia, but that it is also capable of generating effects on the immune and endocrine systems. The possible integration of changes in different systems of the organism could favor the well-being of the individuals and go hand in hand with conventional treatment for multiple diseases. In this sense, classic conditioning and setting expectations stand out as psychological mechanisms implicated in the placebo effect. Recent advances in neuroimaging studies suggest a relationship between the placebo response and the opioid, cannabinoid, and monoaminergic systems. Likewise, a possible immune response conditioned by the placebo effect has been reported. There is evidence of immune suppression conditioned through the insular cortex and the amygdala, with noradrenalin as the responsible neurotransmitter. Finally, a conditioned response in the secretion of different hormones has been determined in different studies; however, the molecular mechanisms involved are not entirely known. Beyond studies about its mechanism of action, the placebo effect has proved to be useful in the clinical setting with promising results in the management of neurological, psychiatric, and immunologic disorders. However, more research is needed to better characterize its potential use. This review integrates current knowledge about the psycho-neuro-endocrine-immune basis of the placebo effect and its possible clinical applications.
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13
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The Role of Expectation and Beliefs on the Effects of Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation. Brain Sci 2021; 11:brainsci11111526. [PMID: 34827526 PMCID: PMC8615662 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11111526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2021] [Revised: 11/14/2021] [Accepted: 11/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) techniques are used in clinical and cognitive neuroscience to induce a mild magnetic or electric field in the brain to modulate behavior and cortical activation. Despite the great body of literature demonstrating promising results, unexpected or even paradoxical outcomes are sometimes observed. This might be due either to technical and methodological issues (e.g., stimulation parameters, stimulated brain area), or to participants’ expectations and beliefs before and during the stimulation sessions. In this narrative review, we present some studies showing that placebo and nocebo effects, associated with positive and negative expectations, respectively, could be present in NIBS trials, both in experimental and in clinical settings. The lack of systematic evaluation of subjective expectations and beliefs before and after stimulation could represent a caveat that overshadows the potential contribution of placebo and nocebo effects in the outcome of NIBS trials.
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14
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Geers AL, Faasse K, Guevarra DA, Clemens KS, Helfer SG, Colagiuri B. Affect and emotions in placebo and nocebo effects: What do we know so far? SOCIAL AND PERSONALITY PSYCHOLOGY COMPASS 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/spc3.12575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew L. Geers
- Department of Psychology University of Toledo Toledo Ohio USA
| | - Kate Faasse
- School of Psychology University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Darwin A. Guevarra
- Department of Psychology Michigan State University East Lansing Michigan USA
| | | | | | - Ben Colagiuri
- School of Psychology University of Sydney Sydney New South Wales Australia
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15
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Placebos without deception reduce self-report and neural measures of emotional distress. Nat Commun 2020; 11:3785. [PMID: 32728026 PMCID: PMC7391658 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-17654-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2019] [Accepted: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Several recent studies suggest that placebos administered without deception (i.e., non-deceptive placebos) can help people manage a variety of highly distressing clinical disorders and nonclinical impairments. However, whether non-deceptive placebos represent genuine psychobiological effects is unknown. Here we address this issue by demonstrating across two experiments that during a highly arousing negative picture viewing task, non-deceptive placebos reduce both a self-report and neural measure of emotional distress, the late positive potential. These results show that non-deceptive placebo effects are not merely a product of response bias. Additionally, they provide insight into the neural time course of non-deceptive placebo effects on emotional distress and the psychological mechanisms that explain how they function. There is controversy about whether placebos without deception cause real psychobiological benefits. Here, the authors show that the positive effects of placebos without deception are more than response bias by providing evidence they can reduce self-report and neural measures of emotional distress.
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Meyer B, Yuen KSL, Saase V, Kalisch R. The Functional Role of Large-scale Brain Network Coordination in Placebo-induced Anxiolysis. Cereb Cortex 2020; 29:3201-3210. [PMID: 30124792 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhy188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2018] [Revised: 07/06/2018] [Accepted: 07/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Anxiety reduction through mere expectation of anxiolytic treatment effects (placebo anxiolysis) has enormous clinical importance. Recent behavioral and electrophysiological data suggest that placebo anxiolysis involves reduced vigilance and enhanced internalization of attention; however, the underlying neurobiological mechanisms are not yet clear. Given the fundamental function of intrinsic connectivity networks (ICNs) in basic cognitive processes, we investigated ICN activity patterns associated with externally and internally directed mental states under the influence of an anxiolytic placebo medication. Based on recent findings, we specifically analyzed the functional role of the rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC) in coordinating placebo-dependent cue-related (phasic) and cue-unrelated (sustained) network activity. Under placebo, we observed a down-regulation of the entire salience network (SN), particularly in response to threatening cues. The rACC exhibited enhanced cue-unrelated functional connectivity (FC) with the SN, which correlated with reductions in tonic arousal and anxiety. Hence, apart from the frequently reported modulation of aversive cue responses, the rACC appears to be crucially involved in exerting a tonically dampening control over salience-responsive structures. In line with a more internally directed mental state, we also found enhanced FC within the default mode network (DMN), again predicting reductions in anxiety under placebo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Meyer
- Neuroimaging Center (NIC), Focus Program Translational Neuroscience (FTN), Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany.,Deutsches Resilienz Zentrum (DRZ), Johannes Gutenberg University Medical Center Mainz, Germany
| | - Kenneth S L Yuen
- Neuroimaging Center (NIC), Focus Program Translational Neuroscience (FTN), Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany.,Deutsches Resilienz Zentrum (DRZ), Johannes Gutenberg University Medical Center Mainz, Germany
| | - Victor Saase
- Neuroimaging Center (NIC), Focus Program Translational Neuroscience (FTN), Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany.,Deutsches Resilienz Zentrum (DRZ), Johannes Gutenberg University Medical Center Mainz, Germany
| | - Raffael Kalisch
- Neuroimaging Center (NIC), Focus Program Translational Neuroscience (FTN), Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany.,Deutsches Resilienz Zentrum (DRZ), Johannes Gutenberg University Medical Center Mainz, Germany
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17
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Aichner S, Haile A, Hoffmann V, Olliges E, Tschöp MH, Meissner K. The Role of Tactile Stimulation for Expectation, Perceived Treatment Assignment and the Placebo Effect in an Experimental Nausea Paradigm. Front Neurosci 2019; 13:1212. [PMID: 31798402 PMCID: PMC6863803 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2019.01212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2019] [Accepted: 10/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Tactile stimulation during a placebo treatment could enhance its credibility and thereby boost positive treatment expectations and the placebo effect. This experimental study aimed to investigate the interplay between tactile stimulation, expectation, and treatment credibility for the placebo effect in nausea. Methods Ninety healthy participants were exposed to a 20-min vection stimulus on two separate days and were randomly allocated to one of three groups on the second day after the baseline period: Placebo transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) with tactile stimulation (n = 30), placebo TENS without tactile stimulation (n = 30), or no intervention (n = 30). Placebo TENS was performed for 20 min at a dummy acupuncture point on both forearms. Expected and perceived nausea severity and further symptoms of motion sickness were assessed at baseline and during the evaluation period. At the end of the experiment, participants in the placebo groups guessed whether they had received active or placebo treatment. Results Expected nausea decreased significantly more in the placebo groups as compared to the no treatment control group (interaction day × group, F = 6.60, p = 0.003, partial η2 = 0.20), with equal reductions in the two placebo groups (p = 1.0). Reduced expectation went along with a significant placebo effect on nausea (interaction day × group, F = 22.2, p < 0.001, partial η2 = 0.35) with no difference between the two placebo groups (p = 1.0). Twenty-three out of 29 participants in the tactile placebo group (79%) but only 14 out of 30 participants (47%) in the non-tactile placebo group believed that they had received the active intervention (p = 0.015). Bang’s blinding index (BI) indicated random guessing in the non-tactile placebo group (BI = 0; 95% CI, −0.35 to 0.35) and non-random guessing in the direction of an “opposite guess” in the tactile placebo group (BI = −0.52; 95% CI, −0.81 to −0.22). Conclusion Tactile stimulation during placebo TENS did not further enhance positive treatment expectations and the placebo effect in nausea but increased the credibility of the intervention. Further trials should investigate the interaction between perceived treatment assignment, expectation, and the placebo effect during the course of a trial.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Aichner
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Anja Haile
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Verena Hoffmann
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Elisabeth Olliges
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany.,Division of Health Promotion, Coburg University of Applied Sciences, Coburg, Germany
| | - Matthias H Tschöp
- Institute for Diabetes and Obesity, Helmholtz Diabetes Center, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Munich, Germany.,German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Munich, Germany.,Division of Metabolic Diseases, Department of Medicine, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Karin Meissner
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany.,Division of Health Promotion, Coburg University of Applied Sciences, Coburg, Germany
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Horinouchi T, Sakurai K, Munekata N, Kurita T, Takeda Y, Kusumi I. Decreased electrodermal activity in patients with epilepsy. Epilepsy Behav 2019; 100:106517. [PMID: 31574431 DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2019.106517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2019] [Revised: 08/23/2019] [Accepted: 08/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Biofeedback therapy using electrodermal activity (EDA) is a new noninvasive therapy for intractable epilepsy. However, the characteristics of EDA in patients with epilepsy are little known; therefore, we assessed the EDA characteristics in patients with epilepsy. METHODS A cross-sectional observational study was conducted in 22 patients with epilepsy and 24 healthy individuals. We collected information on demographic characteristics, EDA, and state anxiety from both groups, and epilepsy diagnosis, seizure number per month, disease duration, and number of antiepileptic drugs (AED) from the epilepsy group. A wristband device was used to measure resting EDA from both wrists for 10 min under controlled temperature and humidity. We compared the EDA levels between the epilepsy group and the control group and examined correlations between EDA and epilepsy-associated factors in the epilepsy group. RESULTS A decreasing trend in EDA was observed during the first 1 min from the start of the measurement in 22 patients with epilepsy (with or without seizures) compared with healthy controls (P = 0.12). However, a significant decrease in EDA was found in 18 patients with epilepsy with seizures compared with healthy controls (-0.48 versus -0.26; P = 0.036). Furthermore, seizure frequency showed a significant inverse correlation with EDA in the epilepsy group (ρ = -0.50, P = 0.016). However, neither disease duration nor the number of drugs prescribed correlated with EDA in the epilepsy group . SIGNIFICANCE Marginally decreased EDA was observed in patients with epilepsy, and significantly decreased EDA was found in patients with a higher seizure frequency. The present findings shed light on the appropriateness of EDA-biofeedback therapy in epilepsy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toru Horinouchi
- Department of Psychiatry, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, 060-8638 West 5, North 14, North District, Sapporo City, Hokkaido, Japan.
| | - Kotaro Sakurai
- Department of Psychiatry, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, 060-8638 West 5, North 14, North District, Sapporo City, Hokkaido, Japan.
| | - Nagisa Munekata
- Faculty of Computer Science and Engineering, Kyoto Sangyo University, 603-8555 Kamikamo Honzan, Kitaku, Kyoto City, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Tsugiko Kurita
- Department of Psychiatry, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, 060-8638 West 5, North 14, North District, Sapporo City, Hokkaido, Japan.
| | - Youji Takeda
- Department of Psychiatry, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, 060-8638 West 5, North 14, North District, Sapporo City, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Ichiro Kusumi
- Department of Psychiatry, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, 060-8638 West 5, North 14, North District, Sapporo City, Hokkaido, Japan.
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19
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Chirumamilla VC, Gonzalez-Escamilla G, Koirala N, Bonertz T, von Grotthus S, Muthuraman M, Groppa S. Cortical Excitability Dynamics During Fear Processing. Front Neurosci 2019; 13:568. [PMID: 31275095 PMCID: PMC6593288 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2019.00568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2018] [Accepted: 05/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Little is known about the modulation of cortical excitability in the prefrontal cortex during fear processing in humans. Here, we aimed to transiently modulate and test the cortical excitability during fear processing using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and brain oscillations in theta and alpha frequency bands with electroencephalography (EEG). Methods: We conducted two separate experiments (no-TMS and TMS). In the no-TMS experiment, EEG recordings were performed during the instructed fear paradigm in which a visual cue (CS+) was paired with an aversive unconditioned stimulus (electric shock), while the other visual cue was unpaired (CS-). In the TMS experiment, in addition the TMS was applied on the right dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC). The participants also underwent structural MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scanning and were assigned pseudo-randomly to both experiments, such that age and gender were matched. The cortical excitability was evaluated by time-frequency analysis and functional connectivity with weighted phase lag index (WPLI). We further linked the excitability patterns with markers of stress coping capability. Results: After visual cue onset, we found increased theta power in the frontal lobe and decreased alpha power in the occipital lobe during CS+ relative to CS- trials. TMS of dmPFC increased theta power in the frontal lobe and reduced alpha power in the occipital lobe during CS+. The TMS pulse increased the information flow from the sensorimotor region to the prefrontal and occipital regions in the theta and alpha bands, respectively during CS+ compared to CS-. Pre-stimulation frontal theta power (0.75–1 s) predicted the magnitude of frontal theta power changes after stimulation (1–1.25 s). Finally, the increased frontal theta power during CS+ compared to CS- was positively correlated with stress coping behavior. Conclusion: Our results show that TMS over dmPFC transiently modulated the regional cortical excitability and the fronto-occipital information flows during fear processing, while the pre-stimulation frontal theta power determined the strength of achieved effects. The frontal theta power may serve as a biomarker for fear processing and stress-coping responses in individuals and could be clinically tested in mental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Venkata C Chirumamilla
- Section of Movement Disorders and Neurostimulation, Biomedical Statistics and Multimodal Signal Processing Unit, Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neurosciences, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Gabriel Gonzalez-Escamilla
- Section of Movement Disorders and Neurostimulation, Biomedical Statistics and Multimodal Signal Processing Unit, Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neurosciences, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Nabin Koirala
- Section of Movement Disorders and Neurostimulation, Biomedical Statistics and Multimodal Signal Processing Unit, Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neurosciences, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Tamara Bonertz
- Section of Movement Disorders and Neurostimulation, Biomedical Statistics and Multimodal Signal Processing Unit, Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neurosciences, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Sarah von Grotthus
- Section of Movement Disorders and Neurostimulation, Biomedical Statistics and Multimodal Signal Processing Unit, Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neurosciences, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Muthuraman Muthuraman
- Section of Movement Disorders and Neurostimulation, Biomedical Statistics and Multimodal Signal Processing Unit, Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neurosciences, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Sergiu Groppa
- Section of Movement Disorders and Neurostimulation, Biomedical Statistics and Multimodal Signal Processing Unit, Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neurosciences, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
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20
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Effects and Components of Placebos with a Psychological Treatment Rationale - Three Randomized-Controlled Studies. Sci Rep 2019; 9:1421. [PMID: 30723231 PMCID: PMC6363794 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-37945-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2018] [Accepted: 12/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
In recent years, placebos have evolved from a mean to control for 'therapeutic chaff' to something that has clinically relevant effects with biological underpinning and that is considered to have clinical as well as scientific potential. However, the wealth of scientific placebo research is conceptualized in a biomedical context, i.e. based on placebos provided with a biomedical treatment rationale, whereas little is known about effects and mechanisms of placebos provided with a psychological treatment rationale. This has important repercussions not only on placebo research, but also on attempts to establish specificity of psychological interventions, such as psychotherapy. Therefore, we set out to assess the effects and possible components of placebos provided with a psychological treatment rationale in three experiments on healthy subjects. We show that placebos provided with a psychological treatment rationale are effective in short- as well as mid-term, but only when provided by a trustworthy, friendly and empathetic experimenter. These findings indicate that placebos are effective outside the medical context and thus need be controlled for in non-medical trials. Furthermore, it highlights and confirms the importance of a plausible psychological treatment rationale in the context of a therapeutic alliance for psychological interventions, such as psychotherapy.
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21
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Kober SE, Witte M, Grinschgl S, Neuper C, Wood G. Placebo hampers ability to self-regulate brain activity: A double-blind sham-controlled neurofeedback study. Neuroimage 2018; 181:797-806. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.07.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2018] [Revised: 07/11/2018] [Accepted: 07/11/2018] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
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22
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Gonzalez-Escamilla G, Chirumamilla VC, Meyer B, Bonertz T, von Grotthus S, Vogt J, Stroh A, Horstmann JP, Tüscher O, Kalisch R, Muthuraman M, Groppa S. Excitability regulation in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex during sustained instructed fear responses: a TMS-EEG study. Sci Rep 2018; 8:14506. [PMID: 30267020 PMCID: PMC6162240 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-32781-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2018] [Accepted: 09/11/2018] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Threat detection is essential for protecting individuals from adverse situations, in which a network of amygdala, limbic regions and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) regions are involved in fear processing. Excitability regulation in the dmPFC might be crucial for fear processing, while abnormal patterns could lead to mental illness. Notwithstanding, non-invasive paradigms to measure excitability regulation during fear processing in humans are missing. To address this challenge we adapted an approach for excitability characterization, combining electroencephalography (EEG) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over the dmPFC during an instructed fear paradigm, to dynamically dissect its role in fear processing. Event-related (ERP) and TMS-evoked potentials (TEP) were analyzed to trace dmPFC excitability. We further linked the excitability regulation patterns to individual MRI-derived gray matter structural integrity of the fear network. Increased cortical excitability was demonstrated to threat (T) processing in comparison to no-threat (NT), reflected by increased amplitude of evoked potentials. Furthermore, TMS at dmPFC enhanced the evoked responses during T processing, while the structural integrity of the dmPFC and amygdala predicted the excitability regulation patterns to fear processing. The dmPFC takes a special role during fear processing by dynamically regulating excitability. The applied paradigm can be used to non-invasively track response abnormalities to threat stimuli in healthy subjects or patients with mental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel Gonzalez-Escamilla
- Section of Movement Disorders and Neurostimulation, Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neurosciences (FTN), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55131, Mainz, Germany
| | - Venkata C Chirumamilla
- Section of Movement Disorders and Neurostimulation, Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neurosciences (FTN), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55131, Mainz, Germany
| | - Benjamin Meyer
- Neuroimaging Center Mainz, Focus Program Translational Neuroscience, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55131, Mainz, Germany
| | - Tamara Bonertz
- Section of Movement Disorders and Neurostimulation, Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neurosciences (FTN), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55131, Mainz, Germany
| | - Sarah von Grotthus
- Section of Movement Disorders and Neurostimulation, Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neurosciences (FTN), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55131, Mainz, Germany
| | - Johannes Vogt
- Institute for Microscopic Anatomy and Neurobiology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55131, Mainz, Germany
| | - Albrecht Stroh
- Focus Program Translational Neurosciences, Institute for Microscopic Anatomy and Neurobiology, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55131, Mainz, Germany
| | - Johann-Philipp Horstmann
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55131, Mainz, Germany
| | - Oliver Tüscher
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55131, Mainz, Germany
| | - Raffael Kalisch
- Neuroimaging Center Mainz, Focus Program Translational Neuroscience, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55131, Mainz, Germany
| | - Muthuraman Muthuraman
- Section of Movement Disorders and Neurostimulation, Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neurosciences (FTN), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55131, Mainz, Germany
| | - Sergiu Groppa
- Section of Movement Disorders and Neurostimulation, Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neurosciences (FTN), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55131, Mainz, Germany.
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23
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Meissner K, Linde K. Are Blue Pills Better Than Green? How Treatment Features Modulate Placebo Effects. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2018; 139:357-378. [PMID: 30146054 DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2018.07.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Treatment-related expectations are important predictors for placebo effects in various medical conditions. They are formed by verbal and nonverbal cues during the administration of treatments, such as verbal suggestions, conscious and unconscious associations with previous treatments, characteristics of patients and health-care providers as well as perceptual characteristics of the treatment. This review provides an overview of studies that aimed to elucidate the impact of treatment characteristics on expectations and placebo effects. Results show that high price, brand label, the use of invasive placebos and high placebo dose increase the expectations toward the beneficial effect of a placebo treatment, which in turn boost the placebo effect. Neuroimaging studies provide first insights into the neurobiological mechanisms underlying these differential placebo effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karin Meissner
- Division of Integrative Health Promotion, Coburg University of Applied Sciences, Coburg, Germany.
| | - Klaus Linde
- Institute of General Practice, Technical University of Munich, München, Germany
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24
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Koban L, Jepma M, Geuter S, Wager TD. What's in a word? How instructions, suggestions, and social information change pain and emotion. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2018; 81:29-42. [PMID: 29173508 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.02.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2016] [Revised: 02/06/2017] [Accepted: 02/14/2017] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Instructions, suggestions, and other types of social information can have powerful effects on pain and emotion. Prominent examples include observational learning, social influence, placebo, and hypnosis. These different phenomena and their underlying brain mechanisms have been studied in partially separate literatures, which we discuss, compare, and integrate in this review. Converging findings from these literatures suggest that (1) instructions and social information affect brain systems associated with the generation of pain and emotion, and with reinforcement learning, and that (2) these changes are mediated by alterations in prefrontal systems responsible for top-down control and the generation of affective meaning. We argue that changes in expectation and appraisal, a process of assessing personal meaning and implications for wellbeing, are two potential key mediators of the effects of instructions and social information on affective experience. Finally, we propose a tentative model of how prefrontal regions, especially dorsolateral and ventromedial prefrontal cortex may regulate affective processing based on instructions and socially transmitted expectations more broadly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonie Koban
- Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Colorado Boulder, United States; Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, United States.
| | - Marieke Jepma
- Cognitive Psychology Unit, Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, The Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, The Netherlands
| | - Stephan Geuter
- Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Colorado Boulder, United States; Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, United States
| | - Tor D Wager
- Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Colorado Boulder, United States; Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, United States
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25
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Polich G, Iaccarino MA, Kaptchuk TJ, Morales-Quezada L, Zafonte R. Placebo Effects in Traumatic Brain Injury. J Neurotrauma 2018; 35:1205-1212. [PMID: 29343158 PMCID: PMC6016098 DOI: 10.1089/neu.2017.5506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In recent years, several randomized controlled trials evaluating pharmaceutical treatments for traumatic brain injury (TBI) have failed to demonstrate efficacy over placebo, with both active and placebo arms improving at comparable rates. These findings could be viewed in opposing ways, suggesting on the one hand failure of the tested outcome, but on the other, representing evidence of robust placebo effects in TBI. In this article, we examine several of the primary psychological processes driving placebo effects (verbal suggestion, cognitive re-framing, interpersonal interactions, conditioning, therapeutic alliance, anxiety reduction) as well as placebo neurobiology (top-down cortical regulation, reward system activation, dopaminergic and serotonergic neurotransmission). We then extrapolate from the literature to explore whether something inherent in TBI makes it particularly responsive to placebos. Viewed as such here, placebos may indeed represent a powerful and effective treatment for a variety of post-TBI complaints.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ginger Polich
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Harvard Medical School, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts
| | - Mary Alexis Iaccarino
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Harvard Medical School, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts
- MassGeneral Hospital for Children Sport Concussion Program, Boston, Massachusetts
- Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital Home Base Program, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Ted J. Kaptchuk
- Program in Placebo Studies and Therapeutic Encounter, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Leon Morales-Quezada
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Harvard Medical School, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts
| | - Ross Zafonte
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Harvard Medical School, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts
- Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital Home Base Program, Boston, Massachusetts
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26
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Huneke NT, Walsh AE, Brown R, Browning M, Harmer CJ. No evidence for an acute placebo effect on emotional processing in healthy volunteers. J Psychopharmacol 2017; 31:1578-1587. [PMID: 29182076 DOI: 10.1177/0269881117739552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Placebo-controlled trials are the gold standard measure of efficacy in the development of new treatments for depression. However, the large placebo effects associated with standard measures of subjective symptoms reduce the sensitivity of such trials to detect antidepressant effects. There is a need to develop novel efficacy markers that are resistant to placebo effects. Measures of emotional processing, known to be sensitive to antidepressant treatment, may be such a marker, although the effect of an acute placebo treatment on these measures remains unclear. We assessed the influence of placebo on a validated battery of emotional processing tasks, the Emotional Test Battery (ETB), in healthy participants. Participants were informed they might receive the antidepressant drug bupropion, placebo or no treatment, with placebo effect being estimated as the difference between the placebo and no treatment groups. We found no significant difference between these groups on measures of emotional processing. There was also no effect of subjective treatment expectancy on performance in the tasks. This suggests that the ETB might be a useful tool for Phase I trials assessing novel antidepressant agents against placebo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan Tm Huneke
- 1 University Department of Psychiatry, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.,2 Psychopharmacology and Emotion Research Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Annabel El Walsh
- 2 Psychopharmacology and Emotion Research Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,5 Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, UK
| | - Randi Brown
- 2 Psychopharmacology and Emotion Research Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Michael Browning
- 3 Computational Psychiatry Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,4 Oxford Health NHS Trust, Oxford, UK
| | - Catherine J Harmer
- 2 Psychopharmacology and Emotion Research Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,4 Oxford Health NHS Trust, Oxford, UK.,5 Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, UK
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Eisenlohr-Moul TA, Girdler SS, Johnson JL, Schmidt PJ, Rubinow DR. Treatment of premenstrual dysphoria with continuous versus intermittent dosing of oral contraceptives: Results of a three-arm randomized controlled trial. Depress Anxiety 2017; 34:908-917. [PMID: 28715852 PMCID: PMC5629109 DOI: 10.1002/da.22673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2017] [Revised: 06/08/2017] [Accepted: 06/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although traditionally dosed combined oral contraceptives (COCs) (21 days of active pills, 7 days of inactive pills) have not been demonstrated as superior to placebo for the treatment of premenstrual dysphoria (PMD), some randomized controlled trials (RCTs) indicate that oral contraceptives administered with a shortened or eliminated hormone-free interval are superior to placebo. However, results of such trials are mixed, and no existing studies have directly compared continuous and intermittent dosing schedules of the same oral contraceptive. The present study compared placebo, intermittent dosing of oral contraceptives, and continuous dosing of contraceptives for the treatment of PMD. METHODS Fifty-five women with prospectively confirmed PMD completed a three-arm, RCT in which they were randomized to 3 months of placebo (n = 22), intermittent drospirenone/ethinyl estradiol dosed on a 21-7 schedule (n = 17), or continuous drospirenone/estradiol (n = 16) following a baseline assessment month. RESULTS All three groups demonstrated similar, robust reductions in premenstrual symptoms over time. A marked placebo response was observed. CONCLUSIONS The study fails to replicate a uniquely beneficial effect of continuous COC on PMD. Additional work is needed to understand the psychosocial context bolstering the placebo response in women with PMD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tory A. Eisenlohr-Moul
- Corresponding Author; Present address: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2218 Nelson Highway, Suite 3, Chapel Hill, NC 27517. . Phone: 859-317-0503
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Liu T. Route of placebo administration: Robust placebo effects in laboratory and clinical settings. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2017; 83:451-457. [PMID: 28941577 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.09.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2017] [Revised: 09/14/2017] [Accepted: 09/15/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Recent advances in laboratory and clinical research have greatly enhanced our understanding of placebo effects. However, little progress has been made in translational research that can well integrate these findings. This article examines pivotal role of placebo administration in subsequent placebo responses, providing a unified framework that accounts for robust placebo effects in both laboratory and clinical settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Liu
- Medical Research Center, Second Teaching Hospital, University of Jilin Norman Bethune School of Medicine, Changchun, China.
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Ashar YK, Chang LJ, Wager TD. Brain Mechanisms of the Placebo Effect: An Affective Appraisal Account. Annu Rev Clin Psychol 2017; 13:73-98. [PMID: 28375723 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-021815-093015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Placebos are sham medical treatments. Nonetheless, they can have substantial effects on clinical outcomes. Placebos depend on a person's psychological and brain responses to the treatment context, which influence appraisals of future well-being. Appraisals are flexible cognitive evaluations of the personal meaning of events and situations that can directly impact symptoms and physiology. They also shape associative learning processes by guiding what is learned from experience. Appraisals are supported by a core network of brain regions associated with the default mode network involved in self-generated emotion, self-evaluation, thinking about the future, social cognition, and valuation of rewards and punishment. Placebo treatments for acute pain and a range of clinical conditions engage this same network of regions, suggesting that placebos affect behavior and physiology by changing how a person evaluates their future well-being and the personal significance of their symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoni K Ashar
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309
| | - Luke J Chang
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire 03755
| | - Tor D Wager
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309.,Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309;
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Frontal-Brainstem Pathways Mediating Placebo Effects on Social Rejection. J Neurosci 2017; 37:3621-3631. [PMID: 28264983 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2658-16.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2016] [Revised: 02/21/2017] [Accepted: 02/25/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Placebo treatments can strongly affect clinical outcomes, but research on how they shape other life experiences and emotional well-being is in its infancy. We used fMRI in humans to examine placebo effects on a particularly impactful life experience, social pain elicited by a recent romantic rejection. We compared these effects with placebo effects on physical (heat) pain, which are thought to depend on pathways connecting prefrontal cortex and periaqueductal gray (PAG). Placebo treatment, compared with control, reduced both social and physical pain, and increased activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) in both modalities. Placebo further altered the relationship between affect and both dlPFC and PAG activity during social pain, and effects on behavior were mediated by a pathway connecting dlPFC to the PAG, building on recent work implicating opioidergic PAG activity in the regulation of social pain. These findings suggest that placebo treatments reduce emotional distress by altering affective representations in frontal-brainstem systems.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Placebo effects are improvements due to expectations and the socio-medical context in which treatment takes place. Whereas they have been extensively studied in the context of somatic conditions such as pain, much less is known of how treatment expectations shape the emotional experience of other important stressors and life events. Here, we use brain imaging to show that placebo treatment reduces the painful feelings associated with a recent romantic rejection by recruiting a prefrontal-brainstem network and by shifting the relationship between brain activity and affect. Our findings suggest that this brain network may be important for nonspecific treatment effects across a wide range of therapeutic approaches and mental health conditions.
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