Placebo Effect in Neuromodulation Therapy

This lecture explores the powerful role of the placebo effect in neuromodulation, challenging the perception that it undermines therapy efficacy. While placebo is a confounding factor in research, especially in pain trials, it can be a therapeutic asset in clinical practice. The speaker explains the neurobiology behind placebo and nocebo effects, outlines their impact on outcomes even in conditions like Parkinson’s disease, and calls for ethical yet effective priming of patients to enhance treatment outcomes. Ultimately, placebo shouldn’t discredit neuromodulation but should be understood, ethically managed in trials, and embraced in clinical care to maximize patient benefit.