Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Lower Resting-State Alpha Reactivity in Chronic Widespread Pain Compared to At-Risk and Healthy Individuals.

Clinical EEG and neuroscience·2026
Same author

Interaural Time and Level Differences Contribute Differently to Source Segregation and Spatial Selection.

Trends in hearing·2026
Same author

Threshold in Focus-Defining Amyloid Positivity on the Centiloid Scale.

JAMA·2026
Same author

Clinicopathologic Evaluation of Amyloid Clearance in Alzheimer Disease.

JAMA·2026
Same author

Postmortem brain MRI reveals differential associations of subcortical and limbic volumes with cortical thinning and neurodegenerative pathologies.

Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association·2026
Same author

Impact of Age-Related Hearing Loss on Brain Connectivity and Cognitive Performance: A Systematic Review.

Trends in hearing·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 6, 2026

Simultaneous EEG Monitoring During Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation
07:52

Simultaneous EEG Monitoring During Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation

Published on: June 17, 2013

41.6K

Experimental placebo analgesia changes resting-state alpha oscillations.

Nathan T M Huneke1, Christopher A Brown, Edward Burford

  • 1School of Medicine, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom.

Plos One
|October 23, 2013
PubMed
Summary

Placebo analgesia, or pain relief from a sham treatment, is linked to increased alpha brain wave activity. This finding in healthy volunteers suggests a new target for developing better chronic pain treatments.

More Related Videos

Author Spotlight: Methodologies and Advancements of Chronic Pain Management Research
08:33

Author Spotlight: Methodologies and Advancements of Chronic Pain Management Research

Published on: January 5, 2024

2.0K
Psychophysically-anchored, Robust Thresholding in Studying Pain-related Lateralization of Oscillatory Prestimulus Activity
07:28

Psychophysically-anchored, Robust Thresholding in Studying Pain-related Lateralization of Oscillatory Prestimulus Activity

Published on: January 21, 2017

6.7K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 6, 2026

Simultaneous EEG Monitoring During Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation
07:52

Simultaneous EEG Monitoring During Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation

Published on: June 17, 2013

41.6K
Author Spotlight: Methodologies and Advancements of Chronic Pain Management Research
08:33

Author Spotlight: Methodologies and Advancements of Chronic Pain Management Research

Published on: January 5, 2024

2.0K
Psychophysically-anchored, Robust Thresholding in Studying Pain-related Lateralization of Oscillatory Prestimulus Activity
07:28

Psychophysically-anchored, Robust Thresholding in Studying Pain-related Lateralization of Oscillatory Prestimulus Activity

Published on: January 21, 2017

6.7K

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Pain Research
  • Psychology

Background:

  • Chronic pain pathophysiology remains poorly understood, limiting effective treatment options.
  • Placebo analgesia offers insights into pain relief mechanisms and potential therapeutic targets.
  • Alpha oscillations are implicated in top-down cognitive processes influencing placebo responses.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between experimental placebo analgesia and resting-state cortical activity in the alpha frequency band.
  • To determine if sham analgesic cream treatment alters electroencephalogram (EEG) alpha activity.
  • To explore the neural sources of observed alpha activity changes during placebo analgesia.

Main Methods:

  • Seventy-three healthy volunteers participated in a placebo-controlled study.
  • A sham analgesic cream was administered as part of an experimental placebo procedure.
  • Resting-state EEG was recorded before, during, and after sham treatment.

Main Results:

  • Resting alpha activity significantly increased in the placebo group post-treatment (p < 0.001).
  • No significant changes in alpha activity were observed in the control group.
  • Source analysis indicated potential generation of increased alpha activity in pain network regions like the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and medial prefrontal cortex.

Conclusions:

  • Experimental placebo analgesia is associated with modifications in resting alpha brain activity.
  • Increased alpha activity may reflect cognitive states of pain expectancy, a key placebo driver.
  • Targeting alpha activity modulation presents a promising strategy for developing novel chronic pain treatments.