WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A recent study featured in the journal Nature has identified the neural circuits associated with the placebo effect, shedding light on how the brain processes expectations of pain relief. The placebo effect is a phenomenon where individuals' expectations can lead to a reduction in their symptoms even without the administration of any real treatment.
Researchers from the University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Medicine led the study and uncovered a pathway connecting the cortex to the cerebellum that explains how individuals can experience pain relief without receiving any actual treatment.
Greg Scherrer, from the UNC School of Medicine, emphasized that 'Our brain can somewhat alleviate pain based on the expectation that a medication or treatment might be effective.' To further explore this, Scherrer and his team induced the placebo effect in mice using a dual-chamber setup. They found that conditioned mice, expecting relief upon entering the second chamber, experienced a reduction in pain despite both chambers being equally hot.
By using a miniature microscope attached to the mice's heads, the researchers observed significant activity in the rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC), a region known to play a role in pain processing. The study also highlighted elevated activity levels in neurons connecting the rACC to the pontine nucleus (Pn) in the pons. The pontine nucleus, located in the brainstem, connects exclusively to the cerebellum, an area known for its role in movement coordination.
Scherrer suggested that targeting the pons and cerebellum with innovative drugs or electrical stimulation could provide non-addictive solutions for pain management. The research team aims to leverage their discovery of this pain control pathway to develop improved treatments for chronic pain and related conditions, which have been challenging to address using traditional methods.
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