As recently demonstrated, a placebo procedure in motor performance increases force production and changes the excitability of the corticospinal system, by enhancing the amplitude of the motor evoked potentials (MEP) and reducing the duration of the cortical silent period (CSP). However, it is not clear whether these neurophysiological changes are related to the behavioural outcome (increased fo...

Fundamental aspects of human behavior operate outside of conscious awareness. Yet, theories of conditioned responses in humans, such as placebo and nocebo effects on pain, have a strong emphasis on conscious recognition of contextual cues that trigger the response. Here, we investigated the neural pathways involved in nonconscious activation of conditioned pain responses, using functional magne...

In this article we explore the ethics of manipulating verbal information for the sake of influencing health outcomes through placebo and nocebo responses. Recent scientific research on placebo and nocebo effects has drawn attention to the ways in which communication by health professionals may modulate the symptoms of patients across an array of highly prevalent conditions such as pain, depress...

PURPOSE Nocebo is very prevalent among neurological diseases resulting in low adherence and treatment outcome. We sought to examine the AEs following placebo administration in Randomized Controlled Studies (RCTs) for Epilepsy. METHOD After a systematic Medline search for RCTs for Epilepsy pharmacological treatments, we assessed the number of discontinuations because of placebo intolerance. ...