Open-label placebo treatment does not enhance cognitive abilities in healthy volunteers.

ABSTRACT: The use of so-called 'smart drugs' such as modafinil to improve cognitive performance has recently attracted considerable attention. However, their side effects have limited user enthusiasm. Open-label placebo (OLP) treatment, i.e., inert treatments that are openly disclosed to individuals as having no active pharmacological ingredient, has been shown to improve various medical symptoms and conditions, including those related to cognitive performance. OLP treatment could therefore be an exciting alternative to pharmacological cognitive enhancers. Here, we used a randomized-controlled design to investigate the effect of a 21-day OLP treatment on several sub-domains of cognitive performance in N = 78 healthy volunteers. Subjective and objective measures of cognitive performance as well as di

SUBMITTER: Hartmann H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10636058 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature