Placebo-Induced Changes in fMRI in the Anticipation and Experience of Pain

• DOI: 10.1126/science.1093065
• Publication Date: 2004-02-19T20:53:03Z
• Authors: Tor D. Wager; James K. Rilling; Edward E. Smith; Alex Sokolik; Kenneth L. Casey; Richard J. Davidson; Stephen M. Kosslyn; Robert M. Rose; Jonathan D. Cohen
• Keywords: Anticipation (artificial intelligence); Cingulate cortex; Affect; Nocebo

The experience of pain arises from both physiological and psychological factors, including one's beliefs expectations. Thus, placebo treatments that have no intrinsic pharmacological effects may produce analgesia by altering However, controversy exists regarding whether placebos alter sensory transmission, affect, or simply compliance with the suggestions investigators. In two functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiments, we found was related to decreased brain activity in pain-sensitive regions, thalamus, insula, anterior cingulate cortex, associated increased during anticipation prefrontal providing evidence pain.