In the April issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry, research reported by Dr. Cynthia McRae of the University of Denver's College of Education provides strong evidence for a significant mind-body connection among patients who participated in a double-blind Parkinson's surgical trial.
Forty persons from the United States and Canada participated to determine the effectiveness of transplantation of human embryonic dopamine neurons into the brains of persons with advanced Parkinson's disease. Twenty patients received the transplant while 20 more were randomly assigned to a sham surgery condition.
Dr. McRae reports that the "placebo effect" was strong among the 30 patients who participated in the quality of life portion of the study.
"Those who thought they received the transplant at 12 months reported better quality of life than those who thought they received the sham surgery, regardless of which surgery they actually received," says Dr. McRae. More importantly, objective ratings of neurological functioning by medical personnel showed a similar effect. In the Archives report, Dr. McRae writes "medical staff, who did not know which treatment each patient received, also reported more differences and changes at 12 months based on patients' perceived treatment than on actual treatment."
One patient, for example, reported that she had not been physically active for several years before surgery, but in the year following surgery she resumed hiking and ice skating. When the double blind was lifted, she was surprised to find that she had received the sham surgery.
Although patient perceptions influenced their test scores, when the total sample of patients was grouped by the actual operation they received, patients
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Contact: Jim Berscheidt
jbersche@du.edu
303-871-3172
University of Denver
7-Apr-2004