The placebo effect in neurological disorders

The context surrounding treatment delivery can allow placebo effects to improve care benefits.

“There is an increasing body of literature suggesting that placebo effects can enhance the therapeutic benefits of care through the context in which the treatment is administered (Brody and Miller, 2011; Cleophas, 1995; de la Fuente-fernandex et al., 2002; Di Blasi et al., 2001; Finniss et al., 2010; Kaptchuk, 1998; Price et al., 2008; Thomas, 1994).”

Placebo administration with expectation of pain relief can be regarded as a specific form of reward processing that recruits activity in reward regions such as the striatum.

“Results from recent studies suggest that placebo administration with expectation of pain relief can be regarded as a specific form of reward processing that recruits activity in reward regions such as the striatum (Benedetti, 2009; de la Fuente-fernandex et al., 2002; Leknes et al., 2011; Petrovic et al., 2005; Schweinhardt et al., 2009; Scott et al., 2007).”