Dopamine has no direct causal role in the formation of treatment expectations and placebo analgesia in humans.

ABSTRACT: Dopamine-based reward and learning mechanisms have been suggested to contribute to placebo effects. However, the exact role of dopaminergic neurotransmission in their generation and maintenance is still unclear. This study aimed to shed light on the causal role of dopamine in establishing positive treatment expectations, as well as on the magnitude and duration of their effect on pain. To this end, we used an established placebo analgesia paradigm in combination with 2 opposing pharmacological modulations of dopaminergic tone, i.e., the dopamine antagonist sulpiride and the dopamine precursor L-dopa which were both applied in an experimental, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial with a between-subject design in N = 168 healthy volunteers. The study medication successfully alt

SUBMITTER: Kunkel A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11421806 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature