Question

In a study of placebos, patients with Parkinson's disease, a movement disorder, were randomly divided into two groups. Each group was given identical placebo saline injections. However, one group was told their injection cost $100 per dose while the other group was told their injection cost $1500 per dose. Patients were then given a motor skills test to determine the effect. What type of study is this?

Answer 1

The study is a double-blind experiment involving Parkinson's disease patients. It investigates placebo effect and the power of suggestion by comparing how patients react to different claims about the cost of their identical placebo treatments. It could provide insights into perception influence on symptoms.

Step-by-step explanation:

The study mentioned in the question is a double-blind experiment. In such an experiment, both the researchers and the participants do not know who is receiving the active treatment and who is receiving the placebo. Here, the participants are those with Parkinson's disease, a neurodegenerative disease that affects movement.

The placebo treatment in this scenario are identical saline injections, but one group is told their injection costs $100 while the other is told it costs $1500. The motor skills test given to the participants then helps to evaluate the differences between the two groups, thereby assessing the power of suggestion in a study.

Additionally, in the context of Parkinson's disease, the patients' dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra are dying out, disrupting movement. Currently, there is no cure for the disease and treatments majorly involve raising dopamine levels in the striatum. In the end, the study results could give insights into how the cost of a treatment might influence patients' perceptions and as a result, their symptoms.

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