Can be read at :http://www.sciencemag.org/content/345/6203/1446.full
Scientists have discovered a gene that helps one have the PLACEBO effect, the genuine benefit derived when people expect a treatment (but are not given the drugs but sugar pills).
Some people may show a placebo response simply because they signed up for a trial at a low point in their illness and then naturally get better. But some fraction may experience a genuine placebo effect—which appears to be stronger for some individuals than others (Servick, 2014).
The gene is called COMT (Catechol O methyl transferase) and codes for an enzyme in Dopamine catabolism.
COMT functional val158met polymorphism was shown to be a predictor of whether people will experience placebo or not.
This has clear implications for the future trials where the genotyping of this functional variant must be undertaken before recruiting subjects in the placebo category for clinical trials.
The original article can be found at:
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0048135
Scientists have discovered a gene that helps one have the PLACEBO effect, the genuine benefit derived when people expect a treatment (but are not given the drugs but sugar pills).
Some people may show a placebo response simply because they signed up for a trial at a low point in their illness and then naturally get better. But some fraction may experience a genuine placebo effect—which appears to be stronger for some individuals than others (Servick, 2014).
The gene is called COMT (Catechol O methyl transferase) and codes for an enzyme in Dopamine catabolism.
COMT functional val158met polymorphism was shown to be a predictor of whether people will experience placebo or not.
This has clear implications for the future trials where the genotyping of this functional variant must be undertaken before recruiting subjects in the placebo category for clinical trials.
The original article can be found at:
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0048135
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