The IoNS is pleased to invite you to its next SIG PAIN conference given by Pr Ulrike Bingel (Essen University Hospital), entitled: "Mind over Matter: how expectations shape health and treatment outcomes in pain and beyond".

This event will take place on April, 22nd at 5:00 PM in the class room ICP2 (Tower 74)

In this presentation, Ulrike Bingel will discuss the complex psychoneurobiological mechanisms underlying placebo and nocebo effects in pain and beyond. Drawing on behavioral paradigms, pharmacological modulation studies, and advanced neuroimaging approaches, she will demonstrate how expectations and prior treatment experiences—key drivers of placebo and nocebo responses—shape pain and analgesia and other clinical outcomes across a wide range of medical conditions.

The talk will examine how placebo and nocebo effects interact with active pharmacological treatments, influencing both therapeutic efficacy and the occurrence of side effects with important implications for clinical settings as well as the design, conduct, and interpretation of placebo-controlled randomized controlled trials.

Furthermore, the presentation will address key open questions, persistent challenges, and future directions in this field, all aimed at harnessing beneficial placebo effects, minimizing nocebo-related harm, and advancing truly personalized, mechanism-informed treatment strategies.