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

Self-Discrepancy Theory02:45

Self-Discrepancy Theory

18.4K
One influential perspective on what motivates people's behavior is detailed in Tory Higgin's self-discrepancy theory (Higgins, 1987). He proposed that people hold disagreeing internal representations of themselves that lead to different emotional states.  
18.4K
The Placebo Effect01:54

The Placebo Effect

6.3K
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.
6.3K
Blind Procedures02:07

Blind Procedures

12.1K
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...
12.1K
Pain01:20

Pain

628
Pain serves as a critical warning signal that alerts the body to potential or actual harm. When mechanical pressure on the skin is intense, such as from a sharp pinch, the sensation transitions from touch to pain. Similarly, extreme temperatures, like a hot pot handle, convert the sensation of heat into pain. Pain can also result from overstimulation of other senses, such as blinding light, loud noise, or the intense heat from habañero peppers. This ability to sense pain is essential for...
628

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Constrained shadow tomography for molecular simulation on quantum devices.

Chemical science·2026
Same author

FAK inhibition in ovarian cancer releases omega-3 fatty acids to program CXCL13-producing anti-tumor resident peritoneal macrophages.

Cell reports·2026
Same author

Size-Consistent Quantum Chemistry on Quantum Computers.

The journal of physical chemistry letters·2026
Same author

A summary of the first Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand Clinical Practice Guideline for the management of mild traumatic brain injury/concussion and persisting post-concussion symptoms.

Australian journal of general practice·2026
Same author

Disentangling the functional roles of pre-stimulus oscillations in crossmodal associative memory formation via sensory entrainment.

Scientific reports·2026
Same author

Tumor-stromal crosstalk and macrophage enrichment are associated with chemotherapy response in bladder cancer.

FEBS open bio·2025
Same journal

Application of ephrin-B2 loaded glycol chitosan-silk fibroin hydrogel in the treatment of diabetic refractory wounds.

Scientific reports·2026
Same journal

International expert Delphi consensus on thromboprophylaxis in metabolic and bariatric surgery.

Scientific reports·2026
Same journal

Assessing the cross-region knowledge transfer capability of selected deep learning building vectorization methods in the context of available training datasets.

Scientific reports·2026
Same journal

Feasibility and preliminary effects of outdoor versus indoor cognitive-motor therapy in women with Alzheimer's disease: A randomized single-blind pilot study.

Scientific reports·2026
Same journal

Hallmarks of social action in the vocal turn-taking of wild common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus).

Scientific reports·2026
Same journal

Role and mechanism of AOPPs-induced NOX4-mediated ferroptosis in intervertebral disc degeneration.

Scientific reports·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 10, 2025

Modulation of the Neurophysiological Response to Fearful and Stressful Stimuli Through Repetitive Religious Chanting
11:12

Modulation of the Neurophysiological Response to Fearful and Stressful Stimuli Through Repetitive Religious Chanting

Published on: November 4, 2021

3.6K

Pain modulation by self-generated expectations.

Carla Mourkojannis1, Maren-Isabel Wolf1, Christoph A Wittkamp1

  • 1Department of Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg‑Eppendorf, Martinistr. 52, Building W34, 20248, Hamburg, Germany.

Scientific Reports
|August 27, 2025
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Self-generated expectations powerfully modulate pain perception, even more effectively than externally induced ones. This study shows voluntary expectation control influences neural responses, suggesting deception isn't needed for pain modulation.

More Related Videos

Corticospinal Excitability Modulation During Action Observation
12:33

Corticospinal Excitability Modulation During Action Observation

Published on: December 31, 2013

9.0K
Investigating Pain-Related Avoidance Behavior using a Robotic Arm-Reaching Paradigm
09:00

Investigating Pain-Related Avoidance Behavior using a Robotic Arm-Reaching Paradigm

Published on: October 3, 2020

4.0K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Sep 10, 2025

Modulation of the Neurophysiological Response to Fearful and Stressful Stimuli Through Repetitive Religious Chanting
11:12

Modulation of the Neurophysiological Response to Fearful and Stressful Stimuli Through Repetitive Religious Chanting

Published on: November 4, 2021

3.6K
Corticospinal Excitability Modulation During Action Observation
12:33

Corticospinal Excitability Modulation During Action Observation

Published on: December 31, 2013

9.0K
Investigating Pain-Related Avoidance Behavior using a Robotic Arm-Reaching Paradigm
09:00

Investigating Pain-Related Avoidance Behavior using a Robotic Arm-Reaching Paradigm

Published on: October 3, 2020

4.0K

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Psychology
  • Pain Research

Background:

  • Pain perception is complex, influenced by biological, social, and psychological factors.
  • Expectations significantly modulate pain perception, as seen in placebo and hyperalgesia studies.
  • Previous research often relies on external cues or deception to manipulate expectations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the efficacy of self-generated expectations in modulating pain perception.
  • To compare the effects of self-generated expectations with externally induced expectations.
  • To explore the neural mechanisms underlying expectation-modulated pain perception using EEG.

Main Methods:

  • 42 participants underwent an EEG study where they generated expectations (lighten, enhance, or no influence) towards a pain stimulus.
  • Behavioral data on reported pain levels were collected for each condition.
  • EEG data, particularly gamma-band activity, were analyzed to identify neural correlates.

Main Results:

  • Self-generated expectations significantly altered pain perception, with all three conditions showing significant differences in reported pain.
  • Self-regulation of pain expectation yielded more pronounced effects than externally induced expectations.
  • EEG analysis revealed differential neural processing, especially in gamma-band activity, linked to self-generated expectations and pain perception.

Conclusions:

  • Voluntary, self-generated expectations have a potent effect on pain perception.
  • Effective pain modulation can be achieved without deception or traditional placebo study manipulations.
  • Findings highlight the direct influence of self-generated expectations on neural responses related to pain.