Placebos and painkillers: is mind as real as matter?

Full Abstract

Considerable progress has been made in our understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms of the placebo effect, and most of our knowledge originates from the field of pain and analgesia. Today, the placebo effect represents a promising model that could allow us to shed new light on mind-body interactions. The mental events induced by placebo administration can activate mechanisms that are similar to those activated by drugs, which indicates a similarity between psychosocial and pharmacodynamic effects. These new neurobiological advances are already changing our conception of how clinical trials and medical practice must be viewed and conducted.

Author information

Author/s: Colloca, Luana (L); Benedetti, Fabrizio (F);

Affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Clinical and Applied Physiology Program, University of Turin Medical School, Corso Raffaello 30, 10125 Turin, Italy.

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Review

Journal: Nature reviews. Neuroscience (Nat Rev Neurosci), published in England. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2005-Jul; vol 6 (issue 7) : pp 545-52

Dates: Created 2005/07/04; Completed 2005/08/09; Revised 2006/02/22;

PMID: 15995725, status: MEDLINE (last retrieved date: 2/18/2009)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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