Biological psychiatry
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Biological psychiatry · Jul 2004
ReviewPlacebo mechanisms and reward circuitry: clues from Parkinson's disease.
Recent evidence indicates that the placebo effect in Parkinson's disease is mediated by the release of dopamine in the dorsal striatum. Interestingly, there is also placebo-induced dopamine release in the ventral striatum, which establishes a connection between the placebo effect and reward mechanisms. ⋯ The magnitude of the placebo effect likely depends on the a priori probability of clinical benefit. This notion has profound implications in the design of clinical trials and placebo investigations.