The effect of treatment expectation on drug efficacy: imaging the analgesic benefit of the opioid remifentanil.

Journal article

Evidence from behavioral and self-reported data suggests that the patients' beliefs and expectations can shape both therapeutic and adverse effects of any given drug. We investigated how divergent expectancies alter the analgesic efficacy of a potent opioid in healthy volunteers by using brain imaging. The effect of a fixed concentration of the μ-opioid agonist remifentanil on constant heat pain was assessed under three experimental conditions using a within-subject design: with no expectatio...

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Authors: Bingel, U; Wanigasekera, V; Wiech, K; Ni Mhuircheartaigh, R; Lee, M

• Publication status: Published
• Journal: Science translational medicine
• Volume: 3
• Issue: 70
• Pages: 70ra14
• Publication date: 2011-02-01
• DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.3001244
• EISSN: 1946-6242
• ISSN: 1946-6234
• Language: English
• Keywords: Brain; Piperidines; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Pain; Adult; Male; Young Adult; Humans; Analgesics, Opioid; Female