Jing Jiang1, Xin Yang2, Wenli Lai2, Qiyong Gong1, and Kaiming Li1
1Department of Radiology, Huaxi MR Research Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China, People's Republic of, 2West China Hospital of stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China, People's Republic of
To investigate the neural mechanism of placebo
effects in orthodontic pain, we conducted a fMRI study
where twenty-three volunteers, under orthodontic pain induced by separators,
were scanned without placebos and followed by another scan with placebos a
month later. During both scans, participants were instructed to perform a bite (with
maximum strength)/no-bite block design fMRI task. Compared with the non-placebo
condition, the participants with placebos demonstrated significant reduced brain
activities in multiple regions, including precentral gyrus, superior frontal
gyrus, superior parietal lobule and supramarginal gyrus. This
study may provide new insights into the neural mechanism of analgesia by
placebo.
