Individual Differences in Reward Responding Explain Placebo-Induced Expectations and Effects

Expectations, positive or negative, are modulating factors influencing behavior. They are also thought to underlie placebo effects, impacting perceptions and biological processes. Using healthy human subjects, we examined the role of the nucleus accumbens (NAC), a region centrally involved in the en...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Neuron (Cambridge, Mass.) Mass.), 2007-07, Vol.55 (2), p.325-336
Main Authors: Scott, David J., Stohler, Christian S., Egnatuk, Christine M., Wang, Heng, Koeppe, Robert A., Zubieta, Jon-Kar
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Analgesics
Behavior
Dopamine - metabolism
Female
Games, Experimental
Homeostasis
Humans
HUMDISEASE
Individuality
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Medical imaging
Nucleus Accumbens - metabolism
Nucleus Accumbens - physiology
Pain
Pain - metabolism
Pain - psychology
Placebo Effect
Positron-Emission Tomography
Reference Values
Reward
Set (Psychology)
Studies
SYSNEURO
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Summary:Expectations, positive or negative, are modulating factors influencing behavior. They are also thought to underlie placebo effects, impacting perceptions and biological processes. Using healthy human subjects, we examined the role of the nucleus accumbens (NAC), a region centrally involved in the encoding of reward expectation, in the formation of placebo responses. Employing functional molecular imaging, activation of NAC dopamine (DA) release was observed during placebo administration and related to its anticipated effects, perception-anticipation mismatches, and placebo effect development. In additional functional MRI studies, the expectation of monetary gain increased NAC synaptic activity in a manner proportional to placebo-induced DA release, anticipated effects, perception-anticipation differentials, and actual placebo effects. Individual variations in NAC response to reward expectation accounted for 28% of the variance in the formation of placebo analgesia.
ISSN:0896-6273
1097-4199
DOI:10.1016/j.neuron.2007.06.028