Effects of open-label placebos on test performance and psychological well-being in healthy medical students: a randomized controlled trial

Kleine-Borgmann, Julian; Schmidt, Katharina; Billinger, Marieke; Forkmann, Katarina; Wiech, Katja; Bingel, Ulrike

doi:10.1038/s41598-021-81502-2

Artikel / Aufsatz Fr., 22. Jan.. 2021 CC BY 4.0

Veröffentlicht

Effects of open-label placebos on test performance and psychological well-being in healthy medical students : a randomized controlled trial

Kleine-Borgmann, Julian ; Schmidt, Katharina ; Billinger, Marieke ; Forkmann, Katarina ; Wiech, Katja ; Bingel, Ulrike

Psychological distress is prevalent in students and can predispose to psychiatric disorders. Recent findings indicate that distress might be linked to impaired cognitive performance in students. Experimental findings in healthy participants suggest that placebo interventions can improve cognition. However, whether non-deceptive (i.e., open-label, OLP) placebos can enhance cognitive function and emotional well-being is unclear. Using a randomized-controlled design we demonstrate a positive impact of OLP on subjective well-being (i.e., stress, fatigue, and confusion) after a 21-day OLP application in healthy students during midterm exams. OLP did not improve test performance, but, within the OLP group, test performance was positively correlated with measures of general belief in the benefit of medication. These results show that OLP can counteract negative effects of acute stress on psychological well-being and might improve cognitive performance if supported by positive treatment expectations. Additionally, our findings in healthy volunteers warrant further investigation in exploring the potential of OLP in reducing stress-related psychological effects in patients.

Vorschau

Einordnung

Datum der Veröffentlichung:

22.01.2021

URN:

urn:nbn:de:hbz:465-20240827-092341-6

DOI:

10.1038/s41598-021-81502-2

Sprache:

Englisch

Ressourcentyp:

Text

Schlagwörter:

Cognitive neuroscience; Fatigue; Human behaviour; Stress and resilience

Kollektion:

E-Publikationen

Sachgruppen der Deutschen Nationalbibliographie:

610 Medizin, Gesundheit

Einrichtung:

Medizinische Fakultät, Universitätsklinikum Essen, Klinik für Neurologie

Förderung:

The publication of this article was supported by the Publication Fund of the University of Duisburg-Essen.

Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL.

This work was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) – Project-ID 422744262 – TRR 289. Author J.K-B. was supported as a Clinician Scientist within the University Medicine Essen Academy (UMEA) program, funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG; Grant FU356/12-1) and the Faculty of Medicine, University of Duisburg-Essen.

Informationen zur Erstveröffentlichung:

Kleine-Borgmann, J., Schmidt, K., Billinger, M. et al. Effects of open-label placebos on test performance and psychological well-being in healthy medical students: a randomized controlled trial. Sci Rep11, 2130 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-81502-2

Published 22 January 2021

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