One Step Closer to Understanding the Placebo Effect
New research shows how a mouse's brain produces the placebo effect
The placebo effect is the idea that your brain can convince your body that a fake treatment is the real thing, and thus stimulate healing. This phenomenon has been known for centuries, but scientists have only recently begun to understand how it works.
New research from the University of California, Berkeley, has shed light on the brain mechanisms behind the placebo effect. The study, published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, showed that when mice were given a fake pain treatment, their brains produced the same pain-relieving chemicals as they would have if they had received a real treatment.
The researchers believe that this finding could lead to new treatments for pain and other conditions that are currently difficult to treat with traditional medications.
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