Individual Differences in Placebo Analgesic Effects

Healthy Clinical Trial

Official title:

Person by Situation Interaction: Matching Suggestions to Participants' Motivational Styles

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Not yet recruiting

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT04669093
• Other study ID #: 230138
• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: September 30, 2024
• Est. completion date: December 31, 2025

Study information

• Verified date: November 2023
• Source: Trustees of Dartmouth College
• Contact: Tor D Wager, PhD
• Phone: (603)-646-2196
• Email: Tor.D.Wager[@]Dartmouth.edu
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

This study examines the effects of placebo suggestions tailored to match or mismatch individual participants' motivational styles-an issue of person-situation 'fit' with important effects in public health settings, but which has been ignored in past research.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Enrollment: 60
• Est. completion date: December 31, 2025
• Est. primary completion date: December 31, 2025
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: All
• Age group: 18 Years to 55 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Healthy participants

• Dominant promotion focus or dominant prevention focus (based on our screening)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Currently or recently suffered from chronic pain (based on screening)

• Cannot tolerate heat pain applied to the forearm, based on a calibration task at the beginning of the experiment

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Healthy

Intervention

Behavioral:
• Placebo cream- "promotion" suggestion
Over-the-counter hand cream will be applied to participants' skin, but they will be told that they are given a highly efficient topical analgesic cream. The suggestion will be based on a "promotion" approach (promoting good feelings).
• Placebo cream- "prevention" suggestion
Over-the-counter hand cream will be applied to participants' skin, but they will be told that they are given a highly efficient topical analgesic cream. The suggestion will be based on a "prevention" approach (preventing pain).
• Control cream
In a control condition, with the same cream as in the placebo interventions, participants will be instructed that the cream is a control cream with no effects.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United States	Dartmouth College	Hanover	New Hampshire

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Trustees of Dartmouth College

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Changes in subjective ratings of acute thermal pain	Following each thermal stimulus, participants are asked to rate how painful it was, on a semi-circular computerized scale. Ratings are based on the angle (0-180), with higher angle representing higher pain ratings. We will average and compare the pain ratings within participant across interventions.	Measured repeatedly, immediately after thermal stimuli on the day of participation. Averaged and compared across interventions.
Primary	Changes in subjective ratings of pain expectations	Before each thermal stimulus, participants are asked to rate how painful they expect the next stimulus to be, on a semi-circular computerized scale. Ratings are based on the angle (0-180), with higher angle representing higher expectations ratings. We will average and compare the expectation ratings within participant across interventions.	Measured repeatedly, immediately before thermal stimuli on the day of participation. Averaged and compared across interventions.
Secondary	Facial expressions	We will obtain facial video recordings of participants with a video camera. We will analyze these data according to Facial Action Units (facial expressions) that are known to be related to pain, and compare them across interventions.	Immediate response measured during painful stimulation on the day of participation. Averaged and compared across interventions.
Secondary	Thermal imaging of the face	We will obtain thermal recordings of participant's face with an infrared camera, and compare the heat signature of the face (the temperature in different parts of the face) across interventions.	Immediate response measured during painful stimulation on the day of participation. Averaged and compared across interventions.
Secondary	Changes in skin conductance response measured with a Biopac device	Skin conductance will be measured. We will compare the skin conductance response to pain stimuli within participant across interventions.	Immediate response measured during painful stimulation on the day of participation. Averaged and compared across interventions.
Secondary	Changes in heart rate measured with a Biopac device	Heart rate will be measured. We will compare the heart rate in response to pain stimuli within participant across interventions.	Immediate response measured during painful stimulation on the day of participation. Averaged and compared across interventions.