Managing the Placebo Effect: Enhancing the Signal-to-Noise Ratio.
Summary of "Managing the Placebo Effect: Enhancing the Signal-to-Noise Ratio."
Confirming the absence of the placebo response has been the bane of researchers throughout the ages. Thus, the gold standard of research methodology is the evidence for a treatment modality provided by a prospective randomized controlled trial. The "control" arm of a trial is the arm in which the placebo has been administered. Increasing evidence from basic science and clinical research is pointing to the fact that the placebo response may have some biological basis that can translate into enduring therapeutic benefit. Have our placebo-controlled trials simply compared one treatment effect to the treatment effect of the "placebo"? Thus, the "δ" is relative treatment effect; perhaps this may provide some insight as to why some treatment response is low compared to a relatively strong placebo response. How can we use this knowledge to create more robust clinical designs that help establish true treatment effect? This article aims to provide an overview of the contemporary insight into the placebo response.
Affiliation
Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Division of Pain Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 550 North Broadway, Suite 309a, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA, kwilli64@jhmi.edu.
Journal Details
This article was published in the following journal.
Name: Current pain and headache reports
ISSN: 1534-3081
Pages:
Links
- PubMed Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21153719
- DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11916-010-0162-2
Medical and Biotech [MESH] Definitions
Placebo Effect
An effect usually, but not necessarily, beneficial that is attributable to an expectation that the regimen will have an effect, i.e., the effect is due to the power of suggestion.
Wavelet Analysis
Signal and data processing method that uses decomposition of wavelets to approximate, estimate, or compress signals with finite time and frequency domains. It represents a signal or data in terms of a fast decaying wavelet series from the original prototype wavelet, called the mother wavelet. This mathematical algorithm has been adopted widely in biomedical disciplines for data and signal processing in noise removal and audio/image compression (e.g., EEG and MRI).
Odds Ratio
The ratio of two odds. The exposure-odds ratio for case control data is the ratio of the odds in favor of exposure among cases to the odds in favor of exposure among noncases. The disease-odds ratio for a cohort or cross section is the ratio of the odds in favor of disease among the exposed to the odds in favor of disease among the unexposed. The prevalence-odds ratio refers to an odds ratio derived cross-sectionally from studies of prevalent cases.
Noise, Occupational
Noise present in occupational, industrial, and factory situations.
Noise, Transportation
Noise associated with transportation, particularly aircraft and automobiles.
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