Objective Recent data suggest the placebo effect to be a powerful demonstration of how mental activity that is shaped by expectation and experience can influence physiological functions. The current strategy to minimize potential placebo effects largely ignores the positive effects of the placebo response. The current proposal postulates a radically different approach: Instead of considering placebo effects a nuisance, we will explicitly investigate the mechanisms behind expectation and experience (i.e. placebo response) to develop its use for the benefit of the patient. Importantly, the same applies to the effect of negative expectations (i.e. nocebo response) that can be responsible for negative effects of treatment. Understanding the mechanisms and circumstances that promote these effects will allow us to adjust medical treatments to minimize these nocebo effects. We will investigate the mechanisms of placebo and nocebo responses in traditional fields such as pain, but also in respiratory medicine and in “cognitive enhancement”. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), pharmacological interventions and formal models we will in particular address the neuronal mechanisms underlying placebo and nocebo responses. Combining the data from all three fields (pain, respiration and cognitive enhancement) will allow us to identify domain general and domain specific mechanisms of placebo responses. These projects will be supported by a methodological work-package which will provide neuroimaging techniques to improve the assessment of placebo and nocebo relevant brain structures. Finally a large cohort of volunteers will be investigated, to assess the relationship between placebo responses, personality variables and genetic polymorphisms using a genome-wide association analysis. Insights gained in this project could have the potential to formally place placebo responses and related mechanisms such as experience and expectation into the mainstream of evidence based medicine. Fields of science medical and health sciencesclinical medicinepneumologyengineering and technologymedical engineeringdiagnostic imagingmagnetic resonance imaging Programme(s) FP7-IDEAS-ERC - Specific programme: "Ideas" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013) Topic(s) ERC-AG-SH4 - ERC Advanced Grant - The Human Mind and its complexity Call for proposal ERC-2010-AdG_20100407 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme ERC-AG - ERC Advanced Grant Host institution UNIVERSITAETSKLINIKUM HAMBURG-EPPENDORF EU contribution € 2 499 120,00 Address Martinistrasse 52 20251 Hamburg Germany See on map Region Hamburg Hamburg Hamburg Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Administrative Contact Heike Path (Ms.) Principal investigator Christian Reiner Buechel (Prof.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data Beneficiaries (1) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all UNIVERSITAETSKLINIKUM HAMBURG-EPPENDORF Germany EU contribution € 2 499 120,00 Address Martinistrasse 52 20251 Hamburg See on map Region Hamburg Hamburg Hamburg Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Administrative Contact Heike Path (Ms.) Principal investigator Christian Reiner Buechel (Prof.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data