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How can a placebo improve negative states such as anxiety and pain? To find out, investigators in Germany studied psychophysiologic reactions to a shock after participants received either a nasal spray they were told contained a new preparation of lorazepam that would reduce fearful reactions within 30 seconds or a control spray. Both nasal sprays were inactive, but one was presented as active.
The trial, conducted in 28 normal individuals, involved presentation of a red square that predicted a 25% chance of a shock to the hand or a green square that predicted no shock. In another 27 participants, electroencephalographic (EEG) event-related potentials and power spectra were measured during the same protocol.
The lorazepam-labeled spray reduce…