Placebos provide pain relief July 25, 2009
The brain can respond to a dummy drug (a placebo) in the same way as it responds to a proper painkiller, according to some recent scans.
Volunteers were exposed to heat and electric shocks at Princeton and Michigan Universities by scientists.
When the volunteers were given what they thought was a painkiller, it was in fact a placebo. Brain scans showed reduced activity in the pain circuits of the brain. The volunteers were told it was an anti-pain cream that they had been given.
This could pave the way for new treatments in pain relief.
It seems that faith plays a factor in pain relief. A drug works, it seems, when the patient believes in it. Dr. Tor Wager, lead researcher said ‘We found a strong correlation between people’s belief in the placebo and how well it worked for them.’
Previous reports had been disputed by experts who said the reports had been biased. This study is more convincing because of the brain scans. Scientists had previously not been able to track where in the brain activity was taking place when a person experienced pain.
In this research, the scientists knew exactly which area of the brain was affected by pain, they were able to map the area.
Functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI, was used on the volunteers. They can then map changes in blood flow in the brain.
When a particular part of the brain is active or excited, you will find that blood and oxygen flow increases to that area. fMRIs allow scientists to see where and when that happens.
Heat and electric shocks activated the orbitofrontal cortex. This area is responsible for anxiety as well.
When the volunteers where given placebos the researchers noticed that activity in that part of the brain went significantly down. This means that their feelings of pain had gone down.
According to Dr. Wager, this shows that a placebo can reduce one