Placebo Effects in Neurology

Placebo Effects in Neurology provides a comprehensive understanding of how placebos work and their impact on specific neurological disorders. Placebo effects occur in both clinical practice and clinical trials. Though primarily used in clinical trials to validate a treatment, their use in clinical practice may have benefits for the doctor-patient relationship, in therapeutic outcome, and in symptom perception. This volume describes the placebo effect in neurology, ranging from psychobiological mechanisms to specific neurological conditions and methodological and ethical issues. Both deceptive and nondeceptive (open-label) placebos are discussed. Placebo effects are discussed for neuropathic pain, Parkinson's disease, myasthenia and fatigue, peripheral neuropathies, migraine, and neuropsychiatric disorders like depression and anxiety.

• Reviews placebo effects for individual neurological and psychiatric disorders
• Covers benefits in therapeutic outcome, symptom perception, and doctor-patient relationship
• Discusses psychobiological mechanisms of how placebos work
• Considers minimizing placebo and nocebo effects in clinical trials