Changes in perception of treatment efficacy are associated to the magnitude of the nocebo effect and to personality traits

Nicole Corsi; Mehran Emadi Andani; Michele Tinazzi; Mirta Fiorio

doi:10.1038/srep30671

journal article Open Access Jul 29, 2016

Changes in perception of treatment efficacy are associated to the magnitude of the nocebo effect and to personality traits

Nicole Corsi Mehran Emadi Andani Michele Tinazzi

Mirta Fiorio

Scientific Reports Vol. 6 No. 1 · Springer Science and Business Media LLC

View at Publisher Save 10.1038/srep30671

Abstract

AbstractThe nocebo effect in motor performance consists in a reduction of force and increase of fatigue following the application of an inert treatment that the recipient believes to be effective. This effect is variable across individuals and it is usually stronger if conditioning –exposure to the active effect of the treatment– precedes a test session, in which the treatment is inert. In the current explorative study we used a conditioning procedure to investigate whether subjective perception of treatment effectiveness changes between the conditioning and the test session and whether this change is related to dispositional traits and to the nocebo-induced reduction of force. Results showed that 56.1% of participants perceived the treatment as more effective in the test than in the conditioning session, had a more pronounced reduction of force, felt more effort and sense of weakness and were characterized by lower levels of optimism and higher anxiety traits compared to the other 43.9% of participants, who conversely perceived the treatment as less effective in the test session than in the conditioning. These findings highlight for the first time a link between changes in perception of treatment effectiveness, personality traits and the magnitude of the nocebo response in motor performance.

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Published: Jul 29, 2016
Vol/Issue: 6(1)
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Authors

Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona 37131, Italy

Cite This Article

Nicole Corsi, Mehran Emadi Andani, Michele Tinazzi, et al. (2016). Changes in perception of treatment efficacy are associated to the magnitude of the nocebo effect and to personality traits. Scientific Reports, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/srep30671

Changes in perception of treatment efficacy are associated to the magnitude of the nocebo effect and to personality traits

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