Placebo Effects Through the Lens of Translational Research

Overview & Synopsis

This book sheds light on the translation of current mechanistic research on placebo effects to develop comprehensive and adequate strategies for better symptom management and treatment. This book identifies three core aspects to bridge state-of-the-art concepts with day-to-day clinical practice. First, lessons from mechanistic placebo research indicate a neurobiological basis underlying placebo effects. Second, placebo research can improve the design of clinical trials to advance drug development. Third, placebo effects can be exploited in daily clinical practice to optimize patient-clinician communication and relationships and clinical outcomes. Together, these three core aspects provide a new perspective with which to appraise the implications of Placebo Research for healthcare systems, clinicians, patients, and caregivers. New patient-centered approaches, mental health, and pain-related issues are discussed while describing technologically advanced and novel research applications that will shift current clinical practice to improve treatment outcomes.