Mechanisms and Mitigation of Nocebo Hyperalgesia

Traditionally nocebo effects have been investigated to a lesser extent than placebo effects partly due to ethical restrictions concerning the investigation of potentially pain increasing procedures. Recently, however, marked progress in the understanding of nocebo mechanisms have been made and Colloca will give an overview of the latest knowledge of nocebo mechanisms including definition, conceptualizations across countries and ethnic disparities. In addition, Colloca will illustrate novel approaches to mitigate nocebo effects effect in clinical practice and discuss ethical dilemmas related to this practice.