Experimental Pain Clinical Trial
Official title:
Effect of Participant Gender, Experimenter Gender, and Drug-Related Information on Placebo Analgesia
The response to standard pain stimuli in males and females is investigated, together with the effect of informing participants about the effect of a painkiller. Physiological response to pain is recorded.
The social context in which pain is reported has been found to modulate pain. Specifically,
male participants reporting pain to female observers report significantly lower pain levels
compared to male participants reporting to male observers. Female participants seem less
affected by social context. This is a methodological problem in the study of pain and has
consequences in the development of new drugs, and for pain research in general.
The present study has two aims: To investigate whether social context affects also the
placebo response to pain, i.e. the reduced pain often observed after administration of a an
inert substance the participants believes to be a painkiller. It is hypothesized that
placebo analgesia will be larger in males reporting pain to females. Secondly, heart rate
variability and skin conductance, measures of parasympathetic and sympathetic activity, will
be recorded, to investigate if social context affects not only pain report, but also pain
response.
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Allocation: Randomized, Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment, Masking: Double-Blind, Primary Purpose: Treatment
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