Pain
Conditions
Interventions
Healthy participants will undergo a thermal heat pain procedures in which a series of short heat stimuli are administered. During the calibration phase, individual pain thresholds are assessed for low
Sponsors
Leiden university
Eligibility
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: Healthy male and female volunteers from age 16 – 35 years. Participants have a good understanding in speaking and understanding English.
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: Refusal to give written informed consent, severe morbidity (e.g. multiple sclerosis, heart and lung disease), suffering or have suffered from pain lasting for = 6 months, serious neurological or psychiatric conditions, regular use of recreational drugs, current use of analgesic medication, substance abuse, injuries on arms or hands, colour-blindness, pregnancy or lactation and previous participation in similar previous heat pain experiments (‘Aan de slag met pijn’ and ‘Generalization Study’). Exclusion criteria will be stated on the online research platform (SONA) where participants can apply for the experiment and will be assessed by asking the participants before the start of the screening phase whether they experience any of the abovementioned symptoms. Participants that report high pain thresholds during the screening phase (see: Calibration) will also be excluded from the study. Participants will be asked to withhold from alcohol consumption 24 hours prior to the experiment, and caffeine and nicotine 3 hours prior the experiment. Recreational drug use is not permitted one week before participation.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Placebo effects (VAS scores between first yellow and first purple cues) compared between the open label placebo group and the control group. Mean VAS scores of all three yellow versus purple cues will also be compared. | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Placebo effects (VAS scores between first yellow and first purple cues) compared between the open label placebo group and the deceptive placebo group. Mean VAS scores of all three yellow versus purple cues will also be compared. For exploratory purposes we will also investigate the role of demographics, anxiety and optimism as predictors for the magnitude of placebo effects with linear regression analyses. | — |
Contacts
Public ContactRosanne Smits
Universiteit Leiden
Outcome results
None listed