Expectation of Relief Eases Pain

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Expectation of Relief Eases Pain

Science, 2004;303:1162-1166

March-16-2004

Released to the Public Date: 02-20-2004

Reference: This news item was obtained with permission from Ivanhoe

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A new study shows the mere expectation of relief may

be

enough to change the brain's pathway and relieve pain.

Researchers from the Ann Arbor Veterans Affairs Health Care System,

University of Michigan, and Princeton University performed functional

magnetic

resonance imaging (fMRI) on 24 individuals with the intention of mapping

changes in

brain blood flow.

The individuals were given painful electric shots or heat, followed by a

placebo anti-pain cream. When the patients thought they were given the

anti-pain

cream, the brain's pain pathway was less active.

This is the first study to show the brain's prefrontal cortex reacting to

the

anticipation of relief, and then triggering a reduction of activity in areas

of the brain that sense pain. The prefrontal cortex is responsible, among

many

things, for judgment, attention span, problem solving and impulse control.

L. Casey, M.D., co-author of the study, is confident this study will

further the development of integrating placebos into future patient

treatments.

" If you're providing a treatment to a patient, it's important that you

realistically provide them with the expectation that it would work, so you

enhance

the effect. If you gave them a drug or any kind of treatment with the

attitude,

either explicit or implicit, that might not be effective, it would be much

less likely to be effective, " he concludes.