Interactions Between Placebo Effects and Mindful Awareness State

Launched by TRUSTEES OF DARTMOUTH COLLEGE · Jul 31, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is exploring how the mind’s awareness and the placebo effect (when a person experiences real changes after receiving a treatment that has no active ingredients) might work together to influence negative feelings, like pain or discomfort. The study looks at whether being in a mindful state—focusing attention calmly and clearly—along with a “fake” brain stimulation treatment, can change how people feel. Participants will have brain scans and other measurements taken while completing tasks designed to trigger these negative feelings.

To join this study, adults who do not have a history of certain mental health issues, chronic pain, or neurological problems, and who are not taking specific medications, might be eligible. People must also be comfortable with MRI scans and a mild heat pain test. During the study, participants will undergo non-invasive brain stimulation (which is safe and painless), brain imaging, and will complete tasks that may involve mild, controlled discomfort. This research may help us better understand how mindfulness and placebo effects work together to affect pain and emotions.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• • No self-reported current or history of depression, bipolar disorder, or other psychiatric diagnosis
• • No self-reported current seizure disorder (i.e., seizure within past 10 years), or history of stroke or other major neurological diagnosis that can cause cognitive impairment
• • No self-reported current chronic pain, or acute pain within three months of the study period
• • No current migraine disorder (i.e., 15 headache days or more in 1 month)
• • No use of central nervous system-effective medication or other medication for neurological/psychiatric treatment
• • No self-reported substance abuse within the last six months
• • No contraindication to MRI or tDCS (e.g., pregnancy, claustrophobia, pacemakers, ear/cochlear implants, shrapnel injuries, clips, or other ferromagnetic/electrical objects/devices, diagnosed brain abnormality such as tumor, or skin lesions on the scalp.)
• • No contraindications for induced pain (e.g., no heart disease, high blood pressure, heart surgery, heart problems of any kind, severe asthma, respiratory problems of any kind, fibromyalgia, Raynaud's Syndrome or Disease, chronic pain, diabetes)
• • Participants must be capable of performing experimental tasks (e.g., are able to read), are fluent or native speakers of English
• • Participants must be able to tolerate the maximum level of thermal pain stimuli (for thermal stimuli)