Thinking drug will help releases endorphins

ANN ARBOR, Mich., July 19 (UPI) -- Just thinking that a "medicine" will relieve pain prompts some brains to release natural painkillers, called endorphins, found a U.S. study.

A University of Michigan Health System study used brain scans to explore the source of the placebo effect. Some people respond well to placebos -- actually feeling better when receiving a sham treatment they are told will help them -- while other people don't respond at all or, sometimes, feel worse.

The placebo response is linked to the neurotransmitter dopamine active in the area of the brain known as the nucleus accumbens, a small region involved in experiencing pleasure and reward, according to the study published in the journal Neuron.

"Receptors for both endorphins and dopamine are clustered heavily in the nucleus accumbens. So, taken together, our studies delve directly into the mechanisms that underlie the placebo effect," senior author Dr. Jon-Kar Zubieta said in a statement.

"This is a phenomenon that has great importance for how new therapies are studied, because many patients respond just as well to placebo as they do to an active treatment. Our results also suggest that placebo response may be part of a larger brain-resiliency mechanism."