Today we present 25 new placebo and nocebo research papers, book chapters, comments and abstracts identified during February 2025. As usual, they are based on new PUBMED publication using the search terms „placebo“ and „nocebo“ and are hand-selected from more than 951 new publications during the preceding month. Previously published monthly updates can be found in our archive. Todays selection as well as all previously identified papers will also go into our placebo research library that currently contains around 5,400 relevant papers. If you would like to get access to the full database, please register for our newsletter and provide us with your email address and affiliation.
Annfeldt, T. K., Ginnerup-Nielsen, E., Waehrens, E. E., Vase, L., Kristensen, L. E., & Jorgensen, T. S. (2025).
Do cognitive bias and heuristics influence improvement in knee pain in patients with knee osteoarthritis treated with open label placebo? The CHIPS study – An exploratory study using questionnaire and group concept mapping. Osteoarthr Cartil Open, 7(1), 100574. doi:10.1016/j.ocarto.2025.100574
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/39975810
Aronson, J. K. (2025).
When I use a word . . . Lexicographic anniversaries in 2025: Placebo. BMJ, 388, r220. doi:10.1136/bmj.r220
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/39890156
Cao, H., Zhang, Y., Bai, L., & Ma, X. (2025).
Individual Differences in Placebo Analgesia: Functional Connectivity and Neural Mechanisms [Letter]. J Pain Res, 18, 645-646. doi:10.2147/JPR.S518324
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/39958579
Emadi Andani, M., Braga, M., Da Dalt, F., Piedimonte, A., Carlino, E., & Fiorio, M. (2025).
Premovement activity in the corticospinal tract is amplified by the placebo effect: an active inference account. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci, 20(1). doi:10.1093/scan/nsaf014
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/39891393
Flavio-Reis, V. H. P., Pessoa-Goncalves, Y. M., Diaz, C. A. V., Lamoglia, A. S. A., Desiderio, C. S., & Oliveira, C. J. F. (2025).
Open label placebo for chronic low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Pain Manag, 15(3), 149-160. doi:10.1080/17581869.2025.2467025
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/39962721
Groschel, L. C., Brosig, F. T., Soesan, M., Vourtsis, K. T., van der Spek, M., Sluiter, E., & van Vliet, L. M. (2025).
The effect of clinician-expressed empathy and nocebo-alleviating information on breast-cancer-patients’ anxiety and side effects during active chemotherapy: A clinical feasibility study. PEC Innov, 6, 100373. doi:10.1016/j.pecinn.2025.100373
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/39906046
Hohenschurz-Schmidt, D., Vase, L., & Draper-Rodi, J. (2025).
From placebos and shams to high-quality control interventions in manual therapy trials to study efficacy and mechanisms. J Man Manip Ther, 1-2. doi:10.1080/10669817.2025.2471477
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/39986688
Kalra, S., Verma, M., & Kapoor, N. (2025).
The Sociocebo, Socioebo, Or Socebo Effect. J Pak Med Assoc, 75(2), 33-333. doi:10.47391/JPMA.25-11
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/39948802
Livrizzi, G., Liao, J., Johnson, D. A., Lubejko, S. T., Chang-Weinberg, J., Dong, C., Tian, L. & Banghart, M. R. (2025).
Top-down control of the descending pain modulatory system drives placebo analgesia. bioRxiv. doi:10.1101/2025.02.13.638185
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/39990412
Lluch-Girbes, E., Duenas, L., Struyf, F., Camerone, E. M., & Rossettini, G. (2025).
Negative expectations and related nocebo effects in shoulder pain: a perspective for clinicians and researchers. Pain Manag, 15(2), 93-104. doi:10.1080/17581869.2025.2467022
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/39973297
Mamud-Meroni, L., Tarcaya, G. E., Carrasco-Uribarren, A., Rossettini, G., Flores-Cortes, M., & Ceballos-Laita, L. (2025).
“The Dark Side of Musculoskeletal Care”: Why Do Ineffective Techniques Seem to Work? A Comprehensive Review of Complementary and Alternative Therapies. Biomedicines, 13(2). doi:10.3390/biomedicines13020392
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/40002804
Nunes, D. A. P., Furrer, D., Berger, S., Cecchi, G., Ferreira-Gomes, J., Neto, F., Martins de Matos, D., Apkarian, A. V. & Branco, P. (2025).
Advancing the prediction and understanding of placebo responses in chronic back pain using large language models. medRxiv. doi:10.1101/2025.01.21.25320888
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/39974011
Oberhofer, E. (2025).
[„Ehrliches“ Placebo lindert Rückenschmerzen]. MMW Fortschr Med, 167(2), 18. doi:10.1007/s15006-025-4679-z
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/39915389
Rhodes, S. (2025).
Treatment effects, properly defined, are not due to placebo: response to Schmidt et al. J Clin Epidemiol, 111722. doi:10.1016/j.jclinepi.2025.111722
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/39952415
Roganovic, J. (2025).
Mitigating Placebo Effect in Human-AI Interaction: Expanding the Role(s) of the Right to Notice and Explanation. Am J Bioeth, 25(3), 148-150. doi:10.1080/15265161.2025.2457697
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/39992827
Rogers, J. A., & Senn, S. (2025).
Randomization and placebo effects in clinical trials of major depressive disorder. Transl Psychiatry, 15(1), 43. doi:10.1038/s41398-025-03263-0
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/39910057
Schmidt, S., Loef, M., Ostermann, T., & Walach, H. (2025).
“Treatment effects properly defined are not due to placebo: response to Schmidt et al”: author’s reply. J Clin Epidemiol, 111721. doi:10.1016/j.jclinepi.2025.111721
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/39955078
Singh, M. K. (2025).
Editorial: Placebo Response in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: To Mitigate or to Harness? J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. doi:10.1016/j.jaac.2025.01.024
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/39894209
Somogyi, A., Uca, M., Bulgay, C., Acheampong, E. Y., de la Vega, R., Ruiz-Barquin, R., & Szabo, A. (2025).
Positive and Negative Expectations Associated with Coffee and Energy Drinks: Implications for Placebo-Nocebo Research in Sports. Nutrients, 17(4). doi:10.3390/nu17040628
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/40004957
Stein, M. V., Heller, M., Hughes, N., Marr, D., Brake, B., Chapman, S., James Rubin, G. & Terhune, D. B. (2025).
Moderators of nocebo effects in controlled experiments: A multi-level meta-analysis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev, 172, 106042. doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2025.106042
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/39914701
van Griethuysen, S. R. G., Dumoulin, Q. A., van Mulligen, E., & van der Helm-van Mil, A. H. M. (2025).
Can treatment expectations or treatment itself in patients with arthralgia suspicious for progression to rheumatoid arthritis improve illness perceptions? Rheumatology. doi:10.1093/rheumatology/keaf095
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/39945847
Verdes, A., Bhattachan, S., Kolevzon, A., King, B. H., McDougle, C. J., Sanders, K. B., Kim, S. J., Spanos, M., Chandrasekhar, T., Rockhill, C., Palumbo, M., Minjarez, M., Nowinski, L., Marler, S., Siecinski, S., Giamberardino, S., Gregory, S. G., Veenstra-VanderWeele, J., Sikich, L. & Jutla, A. (2025).
Predictors of Placebo Response in the Study of Oxytocin in Autism to Improve Reciprocal Social Behaviors. J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol. doi:10.1089/cap.2024.0131
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/39970017
Wang, Y., Aaron, R., Attal, N., & Colloca, L. (2025).
An update on non-pharmacological interventions for pain relief. Cell Rep Med, 6(2), 101940. doi:10.1016/j.xcrm.2025.101940
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/39970872
Wang, Z., Chen, Y., Li, X., Lin, L., Chen, B., Chen, M., & Zheng, H. (2025).
Placebo response variability on health-related quality of life outcomes in irritable bowel syndrome: an arm-based network meta-analysis. Qual Life Res. doi:10.1007/s11136-025-03927-w
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/39998756
Yang, X., Yang, R., Xu, Y., & Zang, S. (2024).
Development and validation of the treatment expectation scale for patients with liver cancer. Arch Med Sci, 20(6), 1831-1840. doi:10.5114/aoms/186875
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/39967946
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