Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Julia W. Haas, Friederike L. Bender, Sarah Ballou, John M. Kelley, Marcel Wilhelm, Franklin G. Miller, Winfried Rief, Ted J. Kaptchuk
Summary: This systematic review and meta-analysis found that significantly more adverse events (AEs) were reported in the vaccine groups compared with the placebo groups, but the rates of reported AEs in the placebo arms were still substantial. Public vaccination programs should take into account the high rates of AEs in placebo arms.
Review
Oncology
Sandy Simon, Katherine E. Francis, Janene E. Dalrymple, Val Gebski, Sarah J. Lord, Michael Friedlander, Chee Khoon Lee
Summary: Non-drug-related adverse events are common in ovarian cancer patients in maintenance therapy RCTs. Potential explanations include the nocebo effect, residual toxicities from previous treatment, or underlying disease.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CANCER
(2022)
Review
Immunology
F. L. Bender, W. Rief, M. Wilhelm
Summary: This study investigated the solicited adverse events reported in placebo groups following seasonal influenza vaccination. The results showed significant effect sizes of proportions for solicited adverse events, indicating substantial nocebo responses after vaccination. This highlights the importance of addressing fear of side effects to reduce vaccine hesitancy.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Matthew J. Burke, Sara M. Romanella, Lucia Mencarelli, Rachel Greben, Michael D. Fox, Ted J. Kaptchuk, Alvaro Pascual-Leone, Emiliano Santarnecchi
Summary: Growing evidence suggests that placebo effects can modulate the brain, potentially overlapping with regions targeted by depression treatments. Neuroimaging studies reveal significant activation clusters in specific brain regions, such as the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and sub-genual anterior cingulate cortex/ventral striatum, which coincide with depression treatment targets. This overlap has critical implications on efficacy measurements in clinical trials involving placebo effects.
MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY
(2022)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Morton E. Tavel
Summary: The placebo effect refers to improvements in illnesses or subjective symptom reduction caused by interventions with no known physical effects, while the nocebo effect refers to undesirable symptoms or illnesses following interventions with no known physical effects, and it may play a role in chronic illnesses without objective confirmation. Both placebo and nocebo effects are powerful and must be understood by practitioners and researchers in clinical medicine. Individual caregivers can apply these principles to modify patient care outcomes.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Fabrizio Benedetti, Martina Amanzio, Fabio Giovannelli, Karen Craigs-Brackhahn, Aziz Shaibani
Summary: This study revealed that participants who read a list of possible adverse events before receiving a placebo treatment reported more adverse events compared to those who did not read the list. Moreover, increased activity in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and higher state anxiety scores were observed in those who reported multiple adverse events, indicating a potential neuroendocrine mechanism following placebo administration.
CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS
(2021)
Review
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Magdalena Zeglen, Lukasz Kryst, Przemyslaw Babel
Summary: This study systematically reviewed the impact of placebo and nocebo effects on weight loss. The findings suggest that placebo effects may lead to slight reductions in BMI and body fat ratio, while expectancies of taking oral weight-loss agents may elicit a nocebo effect. However, more research is needed due to the limited number of studies on placebos in weight loss.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ratna Shree Sharma, Johannes Pallua, Michael Schirmer
Summary: This meta-analysis examines the occurrence of adverse events in the placebo arms of double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled studies in rheumatoid arthritis. The results show that patients in the placebo arms reported adverse events such as nausea and hepatobiliary disorders at similar rates to those in the verum arms. It is important for patients to be aware that adverse events can still occur even with placebo medication.
Review
Anesthesiology
Stefanie H. Meeuwis, Mateusz T. Wasylewski, Elzbieta A. Bajcar, Helena Bieniek, Waclaw M. Adamczyk, Sofiia Honcharova, Marianna Di Nardo, Giuliana Mazzoni, Przemyslaw Babel
Summary: Observational learning has an impact on placebo hypoalgesia and nocebo hyperalgesia, and can be used to optimize treatment of chronic pain conditions. The type of observation and the observer's empathic concern modulate this impact.
Article
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Carina Schlintl, Anne Schienle
Summary: The study showed that written information can influence the occurrence of reported placebo/nocebo side effects. Additionally, information about the provider's optimistic personality was associated with a lower frequency of reported adverse side effects.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Ingmar Schaefer, Jan Hendrik Oltrogge, Yvonne Nestoriuc, Claire V. Warren, Stefanie Brassen, Maximilian Blattner, Dagmar Luehmann, Alexandra Tinnermann, Martin Scherer, Christian Buechel
Summary: Concerns about adverse effects can affect the uptake of COVID-19 vaccination. Research suggests that positive and negative expectations prior to vaccination are associated with systemic adverse effects. Understanding these associations can improve clinician-patient interactions and public vaccine campaigns.
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Yip Han Chin, Oliver Lim, Chaoxing Lin, Yu Yi Chan, Gwyneth Kong, Cheng Han Ng, Bryan Chong, Nicholas Syn, Kai En Chan, Mark D. Muthiah, Mohammad Shadab Siddiqui, Jiong-Wei Wang, Gemma Figtree, Mark Y. Chan, Nicholas W. S. Chew
Summary: This study analyzed data from placebo-controlled arms without background LLT and found that lipid-lowering therapy has a modest placebo effect but prominent nocebo effect, especially in secondary prevention RCTs, with musculoskeletal, headache, and gastrointestinal symptoms being the most affected.
EUROPEAN HEART JOURNAL-QUALITY OF CARE AND CLINICAL OUTCOMES
(2023)
Review
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Erica Ghezzi, Michelle Chan, Lisa M. Kalisch Ellett, Tyler J. Ross, Kathryn Richardson, Jun Ni Ho, Dayna Copley, Claire Steele, Hannah A. D. Keage
Summary: After conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis, it was found that there is no significant association between anticholinergic medication exposure and cognitive performance in children, except for a small effect of anticholinergic antidepressants being associated with better cognitive function.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Review
Clinical Neurology
Chia-Yen Lin, Meng-Chia Chang, Hong-Jie Jhou
Summary: This meta-analysis study suggests that levetiracetam may improve executive function, particularly in patients without epilepsy. However, caution is needed in interpreting the results due to the diversity in study populations and potential publication bias.
Review
Anesthesiology
Johan (Hans) Peter Alexander van Lennep, Faye Trossel, Roberto Silvio Giovanni Maria Perez, Rene Hubert Joseph Otten, Henriet van Middendorp, Andrea Walburga Maria Evers, Karolina Maria Szadek
Summary: This study demonstrates a significant contribution of placebo effects to symptom relief in chronic LBP in both clinical and experimental settings. Most experimental studies on chronic LBP show significant placebo effects. The meta-analysis indicates a significant impact of placebo effects on pain intensity and disability in chronic LBP.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PAIN
(2021)
Article
Neuroimaging
Filippo Sean Giorgi, Francesco Lombardo, Alessandro Galgani, Hana Hlavata, Daniele Della Latta, Nicola Martini, Nicola Pavese, Irene Ghicopulos, Filippo Baldacci, Alessio Coi, Marco Scalese, Luca Bastiani, Petra Keilberg, Daniele De Marchi, Francesco Fornai, Ubaldo Bonuccelli
Summary: The study analyzed the locus coeruleus using MRI technology and found no age-related differences in a cohort of cognitively normal subjects aged 60-80 years. Consistent with recent post-mortem studies, it suggests that the MRI features of the locus coeruleus are not significantly affected by age in the 60-80 age range.
BRAIN IMAGING AND BEHAVIOR
(2022)
Review
Neurosciences
Maria Antonietta Barbieri, Emilio Perucca, Edoardo Spina, Paola Rota, Valentina Franco
Summary: Cenobamate is a new antiseizure medication used for the treatment of focal seizures in adults. Its mechanisms of action include enhancing the inactivated state of sodium channels and positive modulation of GABA(A) receptors. It has high oral bioavailability and a long half-life, allowing for once-daily dosing. However, it can cause drug-drug interactions due to its effects on various liver enzymes.
CNS & NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS-DRUG TARGETS
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Francesca Biagioni, Roberta Celli, Filippo Sean Giorgi, Ferdinando Nicoletti, Francesco Fornai
Summary: This article discusses the novel role of the piriform cortex in epileptic seizures and its modulation of AMPA receptors under the influence of mTORC1. The results show that the mTORC1 inhibitor rapamycin can mitigate the duration, severity, and brain damage of seizures.
CURRENT NEUROPHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Neurosciences
Harald Hampel, Giuseppe Caruso, Robert Nistico, Gaia Piccioni, Nicola B. Mercuri, Filippo Sean Giorgi, Fabio Ferrarelli, Pablo Lemercier, Filippo Caraci, Simone Lista, Andrea Vergallo
Summary: Comprehensive studies on cancer have led to the development of molecular pathway-based therapies that can be applied to different types of tumors. This paradigm shift in medicine has the potential to be applied to other medical fields, such as psychiatry and neurology. The emerging paradigm shift in neuroscience is illustrated by a review of translational studies on BACE and neuregulin, which are involved in various neurological and psychiatric diseases, showing a shared genetic/biological architecture among them.
CURRENT NEUROPHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Francesca Biagioni, Roberta Celli, Stefano Puglisi-Allegra, Ferdinando Nicoletti, Filippo Sean Giorgi, Francesco Fornai
Summary: This article investigates the role of beta(2)-adrenergic receptors (AR) in modulating limbic seizures within the anterior piriform cortex. The results show that stimulation of beta(2)-AR can prevent limbic seizures induced by bicuculline, while antagonism at beta(2)-AR worsens seizure severity and prolongs seizure duration. The study suggests that beta(2)-AR plays an anticonvulsant role in the anterior piriform cortex.
CURRENT NEUROPHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Simona Lattanzi, Laura Canafoglia, Maria Paola Canevini, Sara Casciato, Emanuele Cerulli Irelli, Valentina Chiesa, Filippo Dainese, Giovanni De Maria, Giuseppe Didato, Giovanni Falcicchio, Martina Fanella, Edoardo Ferlazzo, Massimo Gangitano, Filippo Sean Giorgi, Angela La Neve, Oriano Mecarelli, Elisa Montalenti, Alessandra Morano, Federico Piazza, Patrizia Pulitano, Pier Paolo Quarato, Federica Ranzato, Eleonora Rosati, Laura Tassi, Carlo Di Bonaventura
Summary: This study assessed the effectiveness and tolerability of adjunctive brivaracetam in older patients with epilepsy treated in a real-world setting. The results demonstrated that brivaracetam was efficacious and well-tolerated in older patients, making it a suitable therapeutic option for this population.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Alessandro Galgani, Francesco Lombardo, Nicola Martini, Andrea Vergallo, Luca Bastiani, Harald Hampel, Hana Hlavata, Filippo Baldacci, Gloria Tognoni, Daniele De Marchi, Irene Ghicopulos, Sara De Cori, Francesca Biagioni, Carla Letizia Busceti, Roberto Ceravolo, Ubaldo Bonuccelli, Dante Chiappino, Gabriele Siciliano, Francesco Fornai, Nicola Pavese, Filippo Sean Giorgi
Summary: This study used LC-MRI to investigate the involvement of the pontine nucleus Locus Coeruleus (LC) in Alzheimer's disease progression and its association with prognosis and cognitive performance in amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment. The findings suggest that reductions in LC-MRI parameters may be predictive of clinical progression in Mild Cognitive Impairment and support the role of LC degeneration in the continuum of Alzheimer's disease.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY
(2023)
Letter
Clinical Neurology
Edoardo Ferlazzo, Sara Gasparini, Giorgia Giussani, Elisa Bianchi, Umberto Aguglia
NEUROLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Fabio Giovannelli, Alessandra Borgheresi, Giulia Lucidi, Martina Squitieri, Gioele Gavazzi, Antonio Suppa, Alfredo Berardelli, Maria Pia Viggiano, Massimo Cincotta
Summary: Linguistic tasks can increase the excitability of the primary motor cortex as measured by motor evoked potentials induced by transcranial magnetic stimulation. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of spoken language tasks on motor cortex excitability in hearing signers. The results showed that the excitability of the motor cortex was higher in signers during both linguistic and non-linguistic tasks compared to the control group.
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Vittoria Cianci, Angelo Pascarella, Lucia Manzo, Sara Gasparini, Oreste Marsico, Anna Mammi, Carmelo Massimiliano Rao, Claudio Franzutti, Umberto Aguglia, Edoardo Ferlazzo
Summary: This study presents an in-depth phenotype description of a cluster of five families from Southern Italy with males carrying the GLA c.337T>C (p.Phe113Leu) pathogenic variant. The patients frequently exhibited cardiac manifestations, but also experienced neurological and renal complications.
METABOLIC BRAIN DISEASE
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Paola Rota, Francesco Bonfante, Luigi Anastasia, Paolo La Rocca, Matteo Pagliari, Marco Piccoli, Federica Cirillo, Andrea Ghiroldi, Valentina Franco, Carlo Pappone, Pietro Allevi
Summary: Global infections with Paramyxoviridae viruses, such as NDV and hPIVs, are a serious threat to animal and human health. The development of an efficient experimental NDV host model (chicken) may help evaluate the efficacy of hPIVs-HN inhibitors. Newly synthesized sialic acid derivatives showed high neuraminidase inhibitory activity against NDV, with four molecules confirming their in vitro inhibitory activity and low toxicity.
ACS INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Costanza Varesio, Valentina Franco, Ludovica Pasca, Massimiliano Celario, Cinzia Fattore, Guido Fedele, Paola Rota, Michela Palmisani, Valentina De Giorgis
Summary: Electroencephalography (EEG) is important for diagnosing epilepsy in children and supporting syndromic classification. This study aims to compare the effectiveness of melatonin and sleep deprivation in inducing sleep for EEG recordings in pediatric patients with epilepsy. A randomized crossover trial will be conducted with 30 patients receiving either 3-5 mg melatonin or sleep deprivation. The concentrations of melatonin and its metabolite will be measured using LC-MS, and the standardized sleep induction protocol will be established for pediatric EEG recordings.
Review
Neurosciences
Gioele Gavazzi, Chiara Noferini, Viola Benedetti, Maria Cotugno, Fabio Giovannelli, Roberto Caldara, Mario Mascalchi, Maria Pia Viggiano
Summary: Culture has a significant impact on attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors, influencing communication and decision-making. The debate over whether individuals from Eastern cultures have greater self-control abilities compared to those from Western cultures continues. Using fMRI, this study conducted a meta-analysis that analyzed 30 studies involving participants from both Western and Eastern countries, investigating their performance in Go-Nogo and Stop Signal Tasks. The findings revealed differences in brain activation patterns between Eastern and Western culture participants, with Eastern culture individuals showing higher activation in brain regions associated with proactive inhibitory control, while Western culture individuals relied more on reactive inhibitory brain regions during cognitive control tasks.
Review
Clinical Neurology
Fabio Giovannelli, Gioele Gavazzi, Chiara Noferini, Pasquale Palumbo, Maria Pia Viggiano, Massimo Cincotta
Summary: This systematic review and meta-analysis compared impulsivity between patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and healthy controls, as well as between patients with PD with and without impulse control disorders (ICDs). The results showed that patients with PD had higher impulsivity scores, and patients with PD with ICDs had even higher scores.
MOVEMENT DISORDERS CLINICAL PRACTICE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Studies
Viola Benedetti, Gioele Gavazzi, Fiorenza Giganti, Elio Carlo, Francesco Riccardo Becheri, Federica Zabini, Fabio Giovannelli, Maria Pia Viggiano
Summary: Exposure to natural green environments, whether through visual media or in person, can bring numerous benefits to physical and mental health. In this study, we investigated the impact of viewing videos of urban or forest environments on inhibitory control and attention in people with or without a past COVID-19 infection. The results showed that exposure to forest videos improved the inhibitory component in both groups.
