Abstract
The application of operant conditioning with EEG variables to produce changes in behavior has been gaining increasing interest in research and application areas. However, the methodology has come under scrutiny and criticism for its potential placebo effects. This article will examine those issues from the traditional methodologies of demonstrating effectiveness (control group, sham treatments) as well as examine the possible biochemical and electrophysiological effects of a placebo response. Specifically, the role of endorphins and dopamine and their relationship to the alpha and beta frequency in the placebo response will be examined. The research addressing the diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) correlates of the intervention will be examined.
Highlights
The application of operant conditioning with EEG variables to produce changes in behavior has been gaining increasing interest in research and application areas
The common thread of varying definitions is that a placebo has (a) a positive effect on the patient’s perception and self-report; and (b) does not have any physical beneficial effects on the illness for which it is prescribed
In order to demonstrate a placebo effect, a research project must meet the following criteria document: (a) the expectation of the subject or study characteristics which encourage such an expectation; (b) the concomitant biological correlates; and (c) the lack of a relationship between the biological correlates of the placebo and the biological correlates of the illness in question
Summary
The common thread of varying definitions is that a placebo has (a) a positive effect on the patient’s perception and self-report; and (b) does not have any physical beneficial effects on the illness for which it is prescribed. This partially explained result stands in contrast to the expected increases in alpha associated with increases in endorphin levels It appears that the placebo effect involves endorphins and alpha magnitudes, relative power and peak frequency. “Medication resulted in normalization of theta power, but, after medication, increased relative beta was apparent in the female ADHD group” (Clarke, Barry, McCarthy, Selikowitz, & Johnstone, 2007) This result was obtained in adults Bresnahan, Barry, Clarke, and Johnstone (2006), who reported that following medication, there was a “significant reduction in slow wave activity in the ADHD adult group to levels similar to those in the control group.”. The lack of significant FA increases in the sham condition presents a serious challenge to the NT as placebo argument This result indicates that the NT intervention is resulting in a substantive change in the physical functioning (FA) of the brain while the sham intervention does not. The maintenance of effect at the 6-month time period is problematic for a placebo explanation in addition to the reduction of theta magnitudes which is not concurrent with a reduction in beta magnitudes, the naturally occurring pattern
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
