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Placebo-responsive Parkinson patients show decreased activity in single neurons of subthalamic nucleus

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Abstract

Placebo administration is known to affect the brain both in pain and in Parkinson disease. Here we show that placebo treatment caused reduced activity in single neurons in the subthalamic nucleus of placebo-responsive Parkinsonian patients. These changes in activity were tightly correlated with clinical improvement; no decrease in activity occurred when the clinical placebo response was absent.

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Figure 1: Correlation among arm rigidity (black circles), STN neuronal frequency discharge (bars), and subjective report in placebo responders (left) and non-responders (right).

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by grants from the Project “Neuroscience” of the National Research Council (01.00439.ST97 and 02.00529.ST97), from the Project “Alzheimer's disease” of the Italian Ministry of Health (PFA/DML/UO6/2001 and PFA/DML/UO6/2001/AA), and from a grant from the Italian Ministry of University and Research-FIRB (RBNE01SZB).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neuroscience, Clinical and Applied Physiology Program, University of Turin Medical School, Corso Raffaello 30, Turin, 10125, Italy

    Fabrizio Benedetti & Luana Colloca

  2. Department of Neuroscience, Neurology Clinic, University of Turin Medical School, Via Cherasco 15, Turin, 10126, Italy

    Elena Torre, Marina Pesare, Bruno Bergamasco & Leonardo Lopiano

  3. Division of Neurosurgery, CTO Medical Center, Via Zuretti 29, Turin, 10126, Italy

    Michele Lanotte & Antonio Melcarne

  4. Maugeri Foundation, Via Ferrata 4, Pavia, 27100, Italy

    Bruno Bergamasco

Authors
  1. Fabrizio Benedetti
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  2. Luana Colloca
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  3. Elena Torre
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  4. Michele Lanotte
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  5. Antonio Melcarne
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  6. Marina Pesare
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  7. Bruno Bergamasco
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  8. Leonardo Lopiano
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Fabrizio Benedetti.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Benedetti, F., Colloca, L., Torre, E. et al. Placebo-responsive Parkinson patients show decreased activity in single neurons of subthalamic nucleus. Nat Neurosci 7, 587–588 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/nn1250

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nn1250

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