Expectation modulates the response to subthalamic nucleus stimulation in Parkinsonian patients.
Expectations about future events are known to trigger neural mechanisms that affect both perception and action. Here we report that different and opposite expectations of bad and good motor performance modulate the therapeutic effects of subthalamic nucleus stimulation in Parkinsonian patients who had undergone chronic implantation of electrodes for deep brain stimulation. By analyzing the effects of subthalamic stimulation on the velocity of movement of the right hand, we found hand movement to be faster when the patients expected a good motor performance. The expectation of good performance was induced through a placebo-like procedure, thus indicating that placebo-induced expectations have influence on the treatment outcome. All these effects occurred within minutes, suggesting that expectations induce neural changes very quickly.
Pollo
Antonella
A
Department of Neuroscience, University of Turin Medical School, Corso Rafaello 30, 10125 Turin; Italy.
Torre
Elena
E
Lopiano
Leonardo
L
Rizzone
Mario
M
Lanotte
Michele
M
Cavanna
Andrea
A
Bergamasco
Bruno
B
Benedetti
Fabrizio
F
D000368:Aged; D004599:Electric Stimulation Therapy / Q000379:methods* / Q000523:psychology; D004567:Electrodes, Implanted; D005260:Female; D006225:Hand / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D010361:Patients / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015990:Placebo Effect; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D020531:Subthalamic Nucleus; D016896:Treatment Outcome