Dopamine Found Non-Essential for Placebo Pain Relief

New study reveals that altering dopamine levels does not influence placebo analgesia or positive treatment expectations.

Researchers conducted a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial with 168 healthy volunteers.
Participants were given either a dopamine antagonist, a dopamine precursor, or a placebo before undergoing a pain relief test.
The study found no significant effect of altered dopamine levels on the formation of positive treatment expectations or placebo analgesia.
Placebo analgesia effects were not detectable eight days after conditioning, suggesting a limited duration.
The findings suggest dopamine's role in placebo effects may be more nuanced, linked to reward processing rather than direct pain relief.