研究:药物的疗效取决于患者的心态?

Researchers from Oxford Cambridge and two German universities made their conclusions after a novel experiment examining the role of conscious thought in pain perception.

英国牛津大学、剑桥大学和德国二所大学的科研人员通过一系列实验之后得出结论，人的心态对疼痛感受起着重要作用。，

First 22 volunteers had a pain device put on their skin that was too hot for comfort.

科研人员对22位志愿者进行过试验，他们首先用一种产生疼痛感觉的加热器具放在志愿者皮肤上，让它给志愿者造成烧灼感。

Each then had an intravenous line attached to deliver a powerful opiate-based painkiller.

然后，用威力强大的鸦片基止痛剂通过静脉注射到志愿者身上。

The volunteers were asked to rate the pain before any painkiller was introduced. The average score from 0 to 100 was 66.

静脉注射止痛剂前，志愿者根据0级到100等级对他们疼痛感觉给予评级，此时得到的平均值是66级。

Then the researchers started providing the painkiller without telling the volunteers they had done so. The average score dropped to 55.

然后，研究人员给志愿者静脉注射止痛剂，但不告诉他们这一事实，这次下跌到平均55级。

But when the scientists told them they had started administering the painkiller the score dropped again to 39.

假若告诉志愿者给他们注射了止痛剂，他们对疼痛感的评级下跌到39级。

When they said they had stopped providing the painkiller the score rose to 64 - even though the opiate was still flowing.

尽管鸦片基止痛剂仍在通过静脉流入志愿者体内，假若科研人员谎称已经停止注射了止痛剂，他们疼痛评级又上升到64级，

At the same time the volunteers' brain activity was monitored using MRI scans. These showed their brains' pain networks were more active when they thought the drug was not being administered while 'positive' thoughts that the painkiller was flowing inhibited such activity.

在此时刻，科研人员通过MRI扫描监控志愿大脑活动。扫描图像表明，志愿者若认为没有注射止痛药剂时，他们大脑疼痛神经更活跃，而止痛剂正在流入体内“正确”心态却抑制了这种活性。

Professor Irene Tracey of the Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain at Oxford University who led the research said: "Doctors shouldn’t underestimate the significant influence that patients’ negative expectations can have on outcome.

领导该项研究的牛津大学大脑功能磁性共振成像研究中心Irene Tracey教授说：“医生不能低估病人忧虑情绪对医疗效果产生的重大影响。

"For example people with chronic pain will often have seen many doctors and tried 16many drugs that haven’t worked for them.

“举例来说，有些患有慢性疼痛病的病人常常反复找不同医生看病，试用过高达16种的许多药物，但仍对他们无任何疗效

“They come to see the clinician with all this negative experience not expecting to receive anything that will work for them.

“这些病人带着病难治好的经历去看医生，却没有期望能得到任何有效药方治好病

"Doctors have almost got to work on that first before any drug will have an effect on their pain."

“医疗界已经重视并开始研究这些病人用各种药物难以缓解病情的原因。”

The research is published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

该研究报告发表在“Science Translational Medicine. ”杂志上。