Placebo effects on nausea and motion sickness are resistant to experimentally-induced stress

Abstract

Nausea often occurs in stressful situations, such as chemotherapy or surgery. Clinically relevant placebo effects in nausea have been demonstrated, but it remains unclear whether stress has an impact on these effects. The aim of this experimental study was to investigate the interplay between acute stress and placebo effects in nausea. 80 healthy female volunteers susceptible to motion sickness were randomly assigned to either the Maastricht Acute Stress Test or a non-stress control condition, and to either placebo treatment or no treatment. Nausea was induced by a virtual vection drum and behavioral, psychophysiological as well as humoral parameters were repeatedly assessed. Manipulation checks confirmed increased cortisol levels and negative emotions in the stressed groups. In the non-stressed groups, the placebo intervention improved nausea, symptoms of motion sickness, and gastric myoelectrical activity (normo-to-tachy (NTT) ratio). In the stressed groups, the beneficial effects of the placebo intervention on nausea and motion sickness remained unchanged, whereas no improvement of the gastric NTT ratio was observed. Results suggest that placebo effects on symptoms of nausea and motion sickness are resistant to experimentally-induced stress. Stress most likely interfered with the validity of the gastric NTT ratio to measure nausea and thus the gastric placebo effect.

Feeling unwell of passenger travel by small vehicles and associated risk factors in the North Shewa Zone, Oromiya, Ethiopia

“…This study revealed that buckling a seat belt while travelling, in addition to protecting against an accident and being thrown out of the seat, helped to reduce feelings of illness. The findings coincided with earlier research conducted in various locations [ 11 , 32 , 33 ]. All of the mentioned above studies showed the importance of seat belt use only in terms of accident and injury prevention.…”