A placebo is an inert substance or sham procedure that is administered often as a control when testing the efficacy of an ‘active’ treatment. However, placebos are not inert in terms of outcomes. Average placebo response rates in psychotropic trials are approximately 30%, not much less than medication. Empirical research into placebo effects is accelerating and has demonstrated this neurobehavioural phenomenon significantly alters the function of brain regions and neurotransmitter systems.
In this session, we aim to provide a timely exploration of the growing field of placebo research in psychiatry and discuss potential implications for translational research with speakers who are leaders in this area. The proposed session will be of interest to a wide audience including pharmacologists, clinicians, and researchers with an interest in translating research findings into clinical treatments.
In this session you will:
- Understand the mechanisms thought to be central in mediating placebo effects (expectations and learning).
- Explore current knowledge of the placebo effect in anxiety disorders and future research directions.
- Explore how expectations and learning influence perception of pain, and how this might relate to psychosis symptomatology.
- Explore overlaps between functional neuroanatomy of placebo effects and neuromodulatory targets of depression treatment.
- Discuss implications for translational research throughout.
Chair: Samuele Cortese, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
Nathan Huneke, University of Southampton, United Kingdom.
Emily Hird, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, United Kingdom
Matthew Burke, University of Toronto, Canada
