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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 11, 2025

How to Study Placebo Responses in Motion Sickness with a Rotation Chair Paradigm in Healthy Participants

How to Study Placebo Responses in Motion Sickness with a Rotation Chair Paradigm in Healthy Participants

Published on: December 14, 2014

Visual placebo and nocebo effects.

Alessandro Piedimonte^1,2,3, Valeria Volpino¹, Francesco Campaci^1,3

¹"Rita Levi Montalcini" Department of Neurosciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.

The Journal of Physiology

|October 9, 2024

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Placebo and nocebo effects significantly altered visual accuracy and brain activity in a novel task. Expectations influenced visual perception and attention, extending beyond pain and motor studies.

Keywords:

nocebo nocebo effect placebo placebo effect visual perception

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Last Updated: Jun 11, 2025

How to Study Placebo Responses in Motion Sickness with a Rotation Chair Paradigm in Healthy Participants

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Published on: December 14, 2014

Studying Food Reward and Motivation in Humans

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Published on: March 19, 2014

Methods for Presenting Real-world Objects Under Controlled Laboratory Conditions

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Published on: June 21, 2019

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Psychology
Visual Science

Background:

Placebo and nocebo effects are known to modulate pain and physical performance via expectations.
Their influence on the visual system remains largely unexplored.
Expectations and learning are key mechanisms driving these effects.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate if placebo and nocebo effects impact visual accuracy.
To examine the neural mechanisms underlying these effects using electroencephalography (EEG).
To explore how expectations influence visual perception and attention.

Main Methods:

Participants performed a novel visual accuracy task before and after sham transcranial electrical stimulation.
Visual accuracy was assessed behaviorally.
Neural correlates were examined using EEG, focusing on the P300 event-related potential.

Main Results:

The placebo group showed significantly increased visual accuracy.
The nocebo group exhibited significantly decreased visual accuracy.
EEG analysis revealed increased P300 amplitude in the placebo group and decreased P300 amplitude in the nocebo group.

Conclusions:

Placebo and nocebo effects can modulate visual perception and associated attentional processes.
These findings demonstrate the impact of expectations on sensory perception in the visual domain.
This research opens avenues for exploring placebo/nocebo effects in other sensory modalities.