Placebo and nocebo effects are defined by opposite opioid and dopaminergic responses

• Published in: Archives of general psychiatry Vol. 65; no. 2; p. 220
• Main Authors: Scott, David J, Stohler, Christian S, Egnatuk, Christine M, Wang, Heng, Koeppe, Robert A, Zubieta, Jon-Kar
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.02.2008
• Subjects: Adult; Analgesics - therapeutic use; Brain - diagnostic imaging; Brain - physiopathology; Brain Mapping; Carbon Radioisotopes; Culture; Female; Fentanyl - analogs & derivatives; Humans; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; Male; Pain - drug therapy; Pain - physiopathology; Pain Measurement; Placebo Effect; Positron-Emission Tomography; Raclopride; Receptors, Dopamine - physiology; Receptors, Dopamine D2 - physiology; Receptors, Dopamine D3 - physiology; Receptors, Opioid - physiology; Receptors, Opioid, mu - physiology; Synaptic Transmission - physiology

Placebo and nocebo effects, the therapeutic and adverse effects, respectively, of inert substances or sham procedures, represent serious confounds in the evaluation of therapeutic interventions. They are also an example of cognitive processes, particularly expectations, capable of influencing physio...