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Meeuwis SH, Wasylewski MT, Bajcar EA, Bieniek H, Adamczyk WM, Honcharova S, Di Nardo M, Mazzoni G, Bąbel P. Learning pain from others: a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies on placebo hypoalgesia and nocebo hyperalgesia induced by observational learning. Pain 2023; 164:2383-2396. [PMID: 37326688 PMCID: PMC10578425 DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Revised: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
ABSTRACT Observing someone experience pain relief or exacerbation after an intervention may induce placebo hypoalgesia or nocebo hyperalgesia. Understanding the factors that contribute to these effects could help in the development of strategies for optimizing treatment of chronic pain conditions. We systematically reviewed and meta-analyzed the literature on placebo hypoalgesia and nocebo hyperalgesia induced by observational learning (OL). A systematic literature search was conducted in the databases PubMed, PsycINFO, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, PsycARTICLES, Scopus, and Academic Search Ultimate. Twenty-one studies were included in the systematic review, 17 of which were suitable for meta-analysis (18 experiments; n = 764 healthy individuals). The primary end point was the standardized mean difference (SMD) for pain following placebo cues associated during OL with low vs high pain. Observational learning had a small-to-medium effect on pain ratings (SMD 0.44; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.21-0.68; P < 0.01) and a large effect on pain expectancy (SMD 1.11; 95% CI 0.49-2.04; P < 0.01). The type of observation (in-person vs videotaped) modulated the magnitude of placebo hypoalgesia/nocebo hyperalgesia ( P < 0.01), whereas placebo type did not ( P = 0.23). Finally, OL was more effective when observers' empathic concern (but no other empathy-related factors) was higher ( r = 0.14; 95% CI 0.01-0.27; P = 0.03). Overall, the meta-analysis demonstrates that OL can shape placebo hypoalgesia and nocebo hyperalgesia. More research is needed to identify predictors of these effects and to study them in clinical populations. In the future, OL could be an important tool to help maximize placebo hypoalgesia in clinical settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefanie H. Meeuwis
- Jagiellonian University, Institute of Psychology, Pain Research Group, Kraków, Poland
| | - Mateusz T. Wasylewski
- Jagiellonian University, Institute of Psychology, Pain Research Group, Kraków, Poland
| | - Elżbieta A. Bajcar
- Jagiellonian University, Institute of Psychology, Pain Research Group, Kraków, Poland
| | - Helena Bieniek
- Jagiellonian University, Institute of Psychology, Pain Research Group, Kraków, Poland
| | - Wacław M. Adamczyk
- Jagiellonian University, Institute of Psychology, Pain Research Group, Kraków, Poland
- The Jerzy Kukuczka Academy of Physical Education, Institute of Physiotherapy and Health Sciences, Katowice, Poland
| | - Sofiia Honcharova
- Jagiellonian University, Institute of Psychology, Pain Research Group, Kraków, Poland
| | - Marianna Di Nardo
- Department of Dynamic, Clinical Psychology and Health, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Giuliana Mazzoni
- Department of Dynamic, Clinical Psychology and Health, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Przemysław Bąbel
- Jagiellonian University, Institute of Psychology, Pain Research Group, Kraków, Poland
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Manuello J, Liloia D, Crocetta A, Cauda F, Costa T. CBMAT: a MATLAB toolbox for data preparation and post hoc analyses in neuroimaging meta-analyses. Behav Res Methods 2023:10.3758/s13428-023-02185-3. [PMID: 37528293 DOI: 10.3758/s13428-023-02185-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/03/2023]
Abstract
Coordinate-based meta-analysis (CBMA) is a powerful technique in the field of human brain imaging research. Due to its intense usage, several procedures for data preparation and post hoc analyses have been proposed so far. However, these steps are often performed manually by the researcher, and are therefore potentially prone to error and time-consuming. We hence developed the Coordinate-Based Meta-Analyses Toolbox (CBMAT) to provide a suite of user-friendly and automated MATLAB® functions allowing one to perform all these procedures in a fast, reproducible and reliable way. Besides the description of the code, in the present paper we also provide an annotated example of using CBMAT on a dataset including 34 experiments. CBMAT can therefore substantially improve the way data are handled when performing CBMAs. The code can be downloaded from https://github.com/Jordi-Manuello/CBMAT.git .
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordi Manuello
- GCS-fMRI, Koelliker Hospital and Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
- FOCUS Lab, Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
- Move'N'Brains Lab, Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Donato Liloia
- GCS-fMRI, Koelliker Hospital and Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
- FOCUS Lab, Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
| | - Annachiara Crocetta
- GCS-fMRI, Koelliker Hospital and Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
- FOCUS Lab, Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Franco Cauda
- GCS-fMRI, Koelliker Hospital and Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
- FOCUS Lab, Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
- Neuroscience Institute of Turin (NIT), Turin, Italy
| | - Tommaso Costa
- GCS-fMRI, Koelliker Hospital and Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
- FOCUS Lab, Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
- Neuroscience Institute of Turin (NIT), Turin, Italy
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Tu Y, Zhang L, Kong J. Placebo and nocebo effects: from observation to harnessing and clinical application. Transl Psychiatry 2022; 12:524. [PMID: 36564374 PMCID: PMC9789123 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-022-02293-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Revised: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Placebo and nocebo effects are salubrious benefits and negative outcomes attributable to non-specific symbolic components. Leveraging advanced experimental and analytical approaches, recent studies have elucidated complicated neural mechanisms that may serve as a solid basis for harnessing the powerful self-healing and self-harming capacities and applying these findings to improve medical practice and minimize the unintended exacerbation of symptoms in medical practice. We review advances in employing psychosocial, pharmacological, and neuromodulation approaches to modulate/harness placebo and nocebo effects. While these approaches show promising potential, translating these research findings into clinical settings still requires careful methodological, technical, and ethical considerations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiheng Tu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China. .,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
| | - Libo Zhang
- grid.9227.e0000000119573309CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China ,grid.410726.60000 0004 1797 8419Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jian Kong
- grid.32224.350000 0004 0386 9924Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA USA
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Camerone EM, Battista S, Benedetti F, Carlino E, Sansone LG, Buzzatti L, Scafoglieri A, Testa M. The Temporal Modulation of Nocebo Hyperalgesia in a Model of Sustained Pain. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:807138. [PMID: 35401252 PMCID: PMC8983965 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.807138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The direction and the magnitude of verbal suggestions have been shown to be strong modulators of nocebo hyperalgesia, while little attention has been given to the role of their temporal content. Here, we investigate whether temporal suggestions modulate the timing of nocebo hyperalgesia in an experimental model of sustained pain. METHODS Fifty-one healthy participants were allocated to one of three groups. Participants received an inert cream and were instructed that the agent had either hyperalgesic properties setting in after 5 (Nocebo 5, N5) or 30 (Nocebo 30, N30) minutes from cream application, or hydrating properties (No Expectation Group, NE). Pain was induced by the Cold Pressure Test (CPT) which was repeated before cream application (baseline) and after 10 (Test10) and 35 (Test35) minutes. Changes in pain tolerance and in HR at each test point in respect to baseline were compared between the three groups. RESULTS Tolerance change at Test 10 (Δ10) was greater in N5 (MED = -36.8; IQR = 20.9) compared to NE (MED = -5.3; IQR = 22.4; p < 0.001) and N30 (MED = 0.0; IQR = 23.1; p < 0.001), showing that hyperalgesia was only present in the group that expected the effect of the cream to set in early. Tolerance change at Test 35 (Δ35) was greater in N5 (MED = -36.3; IQR = 35.3; p = 0.002) and in N30 (MED = -33.3; IQR = 34.8; p = 0.009) compared to NE, indicating delayed onset of hyperalgesia in N30, and sustained hyperalgesia in N5. No group differences were found for HR. CONCLUSIONS Our study demonstrated that temporal expectations shift nocebo response onset in a model of sustained pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleonora Maria Camerone
- Department of Neurosciences, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health, University of Genova, Genoa, Italy.,Department of Psychology, University of Milan-Bicocca, Milan, Italy.,Department of Physiotherapy, Human Physiology and Anatomy, Experimental Anatomy Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Simone Battista
- Department of Neurosciences, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health, University of Genova, Genoa, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Benedetti
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Turin Medical School, Turin, Italy.,Plateau Rosà Laboratories, Plateau Rosà, Switzerland
| | - Elisa Carlino
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Turin Medical School, Turin, Italy
| | - Lucia Grazia Sansone
- Department of Neurosciences, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health, University of Genova, Genoa, Italy
| | - Luca Buzzatti
- Department of Physiotherapy, Human Physiology and Anatomy, Experimental Anatomy Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium.,School of Allied Health, Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Aldo Scafoglieri
- Department of Physiotherapy, Human Physiology and Anatomy, Experimental Anatomy Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Marco Testa
- Department of Neurosciences, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health, University of Genova, Genoa, Italy.,Department of Physiotherapy, Human Physiology and Anatomy, Experimental Anatomy Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium
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Meeuwis SH, van Middendorp H, Veldhuijzen DS, Evers AWM. Associations Between Interindividual Differences, Expectations and Placebo and Nocebo Effects in Itch. Front Psychol 2021; 12:781521. [PMID: 34966334 PMCID: PMC8711701 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.781521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Placebo and nocebo effects are positive and negative health outcomes that can be elicited by the psychosocial context. They can be mediated by expectations, and may emerge in somatic symptoms even when people are aware of these effects. Interindividual differences (e.g., in personality, affective states) could impact placebo and nocebo responding, but findings are inconsistent. Methods: The current work examined expectation as a mediator of the association between verbal placebo and nocebo suggestions (VSs) and histamine-induced itch across three experimental studies. Moreover, we examined whether interindividual differences (e.g., in optimism, neuroticism, behavioral activation system (BAS), body ignorance) modulated: (1) the direct association between VSs and itch (direct moderation), and (2) the indirect, expectation-mediated association between VSs and itch (moderated mediation). Positive VSs were compared to neutral instructions (Study 1; n = 92) or negative VSs (Studies 2+3; n = 203) in an open-label (i.e., explaining placebo and nocebo effects) or closed-label (concealed) context using PROCESS. First, mediation of VSs effects on itch by expectations was tested. Next, moderation by individual traits was explored using conditional process analyses. Results: The effects of VSs on itch were significantly mediated by expectation in Study 1 and in the open-label (but not closed-label) contexts of Studies 2 and 3. Ignorance of bodily signals marginally moderated the direct effects of VSs on itch when closed-label suggestions were given: at low levels of body ignorance, effects of positive and negative VSs were stronger. Moreover, moderated mediation was observed in the open-label groups of Studies 2 and 3: The expectation-mediated effects of VSs on itch were stronger when BAS drive was lower. Conclusion: Overall, the effects of VSs on itch were mediated by expectations in the open-label, but not the closed-label context. Moreover, the current work suggests that placebo and nocebo effects may be moderated by ignorance of bodily signals and the BAS. There was limited evidence that other interindividual differences modulated placebo and nocebo responding in itch.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefanie H Meeuwis
- Pain Research Group, Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland.,Health, Medical and Neuropsychology Unit, Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands.,Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Henriët van Middendorp
- Health, Medical and Neuropsychology Unit, Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands.,Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Dieuwke S Veldhuijzen
- Health, Medical and Neuropsychology Unit, Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands.,Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Andrea W M Evers
- Health, Medical and Neuropsychology Unit, Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands.,Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands.,Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands.,Medical Delta Healthy Society, Leiden University, Technical University Delft, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands
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Centanni SW, Janes AC, Haggerty DL, Atwood B, Hopf FW. Better living through understanding the insula: Why subregions can make all the difference. Neuropharmacology 2021; 198:108765. [PMID: 34461066 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2021.108765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Revised: 07/19/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Insula function is considered critical for many motivated behaviors, with proposed functions ranging from attention, behavioral control, emotional regulation, goal-directed and aversion-resistant responding. Further, the insula is implicated in many neuropsychiatric conditions including substance abuse. More recently, multiple insula subregions have been distinguished based on anatomy, connectivity, and functional contributions. Generally, posterior insula is thought to encode more somatosensory inputs, which integrate with limbic/emotional information in middle insula, that in turn integrate with cognitive processes in anterior insula. Together, these regions provide rapid interoceptive information about the current or predicted situation, facilitating autonomic recruitment and quick, flexible action. Here, we seek to create a robust foundation from which to understand potential subregion differences, and provide direction for future studies. We address subregion differences across humans and rodents, so that the latter's mechanistic interventions can best mesh with clinical relevance of human conditions. We first consider the insula's suggested roles in humans, then compare subregional studies, and finally describe rodent work. One primary goal is to encourage precision in describing insula subregions, since imprecision (e.g. including both posterior and anterior studies when describing insula work) does a disservice to a larger understanding of insula contributions. Additionally, we note that specific task details can greatly impact recruitment of various subregions, requiring care and nuance in design and interpretation of studies. Nonetheless, the central ethological importance of the insula makes continued research to uncover mechanistic, mood, and behavioral contributions of paramount importance and interest. This article is part of the special Issue on 'Neurocircuitry Modulating Drug and Alcohol Abuse'.
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