Nocebo hyperalgesia and pain progression: Prediction, acquisition, and recovery - PhD defense Merve Karacaoglu

 

On September 4th from 13:00 to 14:00, Merve Karacaoglu successfully defended her PhD thesis titled “Nocebo hyperalgesia and pain progression: Prediction, acquisition, and recovery”.

In her research, Merve has uncovered fascinating insights into the nocebo effect, where negative expectations can increase pain perception. Her work, especially with women suffering from fibromyalgia, sheds light on how these expectations can affect the outcomes of pain treatments.

Anxious and pessimistic individuals felt more pain but also responded well to interventions aimed at reducing it during an open-label study, offering hope for treatment strategies. These results could shape future learning-based interventions that help patients manage pain by altering their expectations. Merve’s work provides opportunities for more research into how the clinical setting influences these responses and how we can mitigate the effects of nocebo in chronic pain management.

Read the full article about Merve’s research on the Leiden University website: https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/news/2024/09/prepared-for-pain-the-impact-of-the-nocebo-effect-on-people-with-chronic-pain