Understanding Placebo Effects on Pain
This study is looking at how different types of suggestions, called placebo effects, can change how people experience pain. Researchers will apply an over-the-counter hand cream to your skin, but tell you it's a strong pain-relieving cream. They will use two types of suggestions: one focused on "promotion" (making you feel good) and another on "prevention" (stopping pain). There's also a control group where you'll be told the cream has no effects. The study wants to see how these suggestions affect your pain ratings and expectations of pain. You might be able to join if you are a healthy adult between 18 and 55 years old and have a dominant "promotion" or "prevention" focus, which will be determined by a screening process. You cannot have chronic pain or be unable to tolerate heat pain.
- Study design
- This interventional study plans to enroll 60 healthy participants. It compares different types of placebo cream suggestions against a control cream.
- What's involved
- You will have cream applied to your skin and experience thermal (heat) stimuli. Your pain ratings and pain expectations will be measured repeatedly on the day of participation.
- Compensation
- Not stated in the trial record.
- Follow-up
- Your pain ratings and expectations will be measured immediately after thermal stimuli on the day of participation.
AI-generated from the public study record. Only the study team can confirm whether you're eligible — confirm details with them before making decisions.
Individual Differences in Placebo Analgesic Effects
At a glance
Conditions
Where it's being run
1 sites across 1 statesStudy leadership
- Tor D Wager, PhD · PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR · Dartmouth College
Who to contact
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Do you actually qualify for this trial?
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Inclusion
Exclusion
What this trial measures
- Changes in subjective ratings of acute thermal painMeasured repeatedly, immediately after thermal stimuli on the day of participation. Averaged and compared across interventions.
Following each thermal stimulus, participants are asked to rate how painful it was, on a semi-circular computerized scale. Ratings are based on the angle (0-180), with higher angle representing higher pain ratings. We will average and compare the pain ratings within participant across interventions.
- Changes in subjective ratings of pain expectationsMeasured repeatedly, immediately before thermal stimuli on the day of participation. Averaged and compared across interventions.
Before each thermal stimulus, participants are asked to rate how painful they expect the next stimulus to be, on a semi-circular computerized scale. Ratings are based on the angle (0-180), with higher angle representing higher expectations ratings. We will average and compare the expectation ratings within participant across interventions.