Pain modulation through ‘nothing’?

Salus aegroti suprema lex - Das Wohl des Kranken sei höchstes Gesetz (Foto: Rüdiger Labahn / Universität zu Lübeck)

In controlled experiments, participants in placebo groups consistently report reductions in pain, illustrating how powerfully the human brain can shape sensory experience. Placebo analgesia—pain reduction following the administration of something that lacks any known biological properties capable of reducing pain—is indeed a fascinating phenomenon. Equally astonishing, yet representing its darker counterpart, is nocebo hyperalgesia, in which pain intensifies as a result of nothing.

But what is this “nothing”, and how does it compel the brain to generate such distorted perceptual and affective states? In my talk, I will outline key discoveries in the field and guide the audience through both historical and contemporary perspectives on the mechanisms underlying placebo and nocebo effects in pain. I will also incorporate insights from my own research to illustrate how these mechanisms manifest in controlled experimental settings. The presentation will bridge three domains—neuroscience, behaviourism, and pain medicine—and will highlight the psychobiological mechanisms that shape placebo and nocebo responses in pain.

Open-label note: although the topic is a placebo, the lecture is real—no deception involved.

• Dr. habil. Waclaw Marceli Adamczyk hält seine Antrittsvorlesung im Rahmen der Umhabilitation an die Universität zu Lübeck im Fachgebiet Experimentelle Neurowissenschaft.