Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 30, 2026
09:38
Determining Pain Detection and Tolerance Thresholds Using an Integrated, Multi-Modal Pain Task Battery
Published on: April 14, 2016
13.4K
Placebo Analgesia - Understanding the Mechanisms and Implications for Clinical Practice
Damien G Finniss1, Michael K Nicholas1, Fabrizio Benedetti2
1Pain Management and Research Institute University of Sydney and Royal North Shore Hospital Pacific Hwy, St Leonards, 2065, Sydney, NSW Australia.
Reviews in Pain
|November 4, 2015
Summary
Placebo effects involve complex neurobiological, cognitive, and conditioning processes. Understanding these diverse placebo mechanisms offers opportunities to enhance clinical care in practice.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Clinical Medicine
Background:
- Placebo effects are integral to healthcare.
- Existing research indicates multiple distinct placebo mechanisms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To elucidate the multifaceted nature of placebo mechanisms.
- To explore the potential for modulating placebo effects in clinical settings.
Main Methods:
- Review of neurobiological, cognitive, and conditioning processes.
- Analysis of mechanisms research on placebo effects.
Main Results:
- Placebo effects are not monolithic but comprise multiple distinct mechanisms.
- These mechanisms are rooted in neurobiology, cognition, and conditioning.
Conclusions:
- Placebo mechanisms are inherent to routine clinical practice.
- Targeted modulation of these mechanisms presents a viable strategy for improving patient care.
Related Concept Videos
01:25Analgesia and Pain Management
3.0K
Pain is critical to various clinical pathologies, provoking an urgent need for effective management. Pain, whether acute or chronic, is a complex neurochemical process. Its alleviation depends on the type, with nonopioid analgesics effective for mild to moderate pain, such as musculoskeletal or inflammatory pain, while neuropathic pain responds best to anticonvulsants, tricyclic antidepressants, or serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors. For severe acute or chronic pain, opioids may be...
3.0K
01:54The Placebo Effect
7.1K
The placebo effect occurs when people's expectations or beliefs influence or determine their experience in a given situation. In other words, simply expecting something to happen can actually make it happen.
7.1K
01:44Nociception
34.7K
Nociception—the ability to feel pain—is essential for an organism’s survival and overall well-being. Noxious stimuli such as piercing pain from a sharp object, heat from an open flame, or contact with corrosive chemicals are first detected by sensory receptors, called nociceptors, located on nerve endings. Nociceptors express ion channels that convert noxious stimuli into electrical signals. When these signals reach the brain via sensory neurons, they are perceived as pain.
34.7K
01:15Opioid Analgesics: Synthetic and Semisynthetic Opioids
1.4K
Synthetic and semisynthetic opioids are pivotal in pain management and tackling opioid addiction. Semisynthetic opioids, including morphinans (morphine derivatives), oxycodone, oxymorphone, hydrocodone, and hydromorphone, have improved pharmacokinetic profiles compared to morphine. Additionally, heroin and 6-MAM (6-Monoacetylmorphine) show better CNS penetration than morphine due to heightened lipid solubility. Hydromorphone, a potent opioid, undergoes hepatic metabolism to form the active...
1.4K
02:07Blind Procedures
13.9K
Ideally, the people who observe and record the children’s behavior are unaware of who was assigned to the experimental or control group, in order to control for experimenter bias. Experimenter bias refers to the possibility that a researcher’s expectations might skew the results of the study. Remember, conducting an experiment requires a lot of planning, and the people involved in the research project have a vested interest in supporting their hypotheses. If the observers knew which...
13.9K
01:29Local Anesthetics: Clinical Application as Epidural Anesthesia
962
Epidural anesthetics are administered in the fat-filled epidural space, the outermost part of the spinal canal. This technique is commonly employed for pain management and anesthesia during lower abdomen and pelvis surgeries or labor and delivery.
Since epidural anesthetics can be infused through an epidural catheter, all types of drugs, including short-acting ones, can be administered. Chloroprocaine and lidocaine are examples of short and long-duration anesthetics, respectively. Bupivacaine...
Since epidural anesthetics can be infused through an epidural catheter, all types of drugs, including short-acting ones, can be administered. Chloroprocaine and lidocaine are examples of short and long-duration anesthetics, respectively. Bupivacaine...
962