Belief in success or failure of therapy influenced the effect is much stronger than previously thought. The researchers now show German .
A negative expectation itself can completely nullify the effect of strong drugs. The have found German scientists in a study in which they exposed volunteers pain and then tested the effect of a painkiller under different conditions.
Results: Did the subjects that them an analgesic was administered, increased the effect of the drug. Subjects were, however, believing that they would feel more pain after infusion than before was missing, not only the reinforcing effect, the analgesic even completely lost its effect.
This effect was also reflected in brain activity of subjects. The researchers now demanding that patients intense about their disease and the therapy should be advised to improve the therapeutic response. The researchers led by Ulrike Bingel report from the University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf in the journal "Science Translational Medicine.
sat Bingham's team 22 volunteers 21-40 years several times for a few seconds to a controlled heat stimulus. This caused for the individual subjects had a moderate to severe pain. Then the participants were given by infusion, remifentanil, a strong opioid painkiller.
In a first attempt did not want them an analgesic drug was administered, and therefore did not expect a lessening of pain. In the second test, researchers divided the the subjects with then that they were given a painkiller. And in a third experiment, they were led to believe, to receive no medication, although they the painkillers were administered. Some of the scientists said even that could be strengthened by the infusion of the pain.
Did the subjects anything about the painkiller, did this his work - the pain decreased significantly. This effect was even stronger if they were aware that they were given a pain-killer: the knowledge was enough for the administration to double the analgesic effect - even though the drug dose was the same.
whole situation was different, however, when the researchers said the patients, they would get no more drug and the pain could possibly increase: Although you without their knowledge, the analgesic was administered, pain intensity rose again up to the original value.
"The negative expectation and the fear of pain have destroyed the effect of the drug completely," says study leader Bingel. "The pain was in the subjects as much as they had received no medication at all."
parallel, researchers followed the the pain processing in the brains of volunteers using functional magnetic resonance imaging. "It showed the switching points of the pain-processing system that the personal expectation of the effect of Drug influence, "says the scientist. Did the subject of the effect of treatment, was the body's pain inhibitory system is activated, which enhances the analgesic effect of the drug.
The researcher advises that patients should be elucidated in future expand and improve their condition and treatment. "This will arouse positive and negative expectations can be avoided," said Bingham.
Brain Research: Negative thinking also neutralize the strong medicines
Source: swissestetix Blog
0 comments:
Post a Comment