Genetic basis of the placebo response
Dr. Bryant has a longstanding interest in using mice to study the neurobiological basis of the “placebo effect” (Bryant et al., 2009; Drug and Alcohol Dependence), a phenomenon that has been hypothesized to be mediated by the reward expectation. He plans to develop and apply a forward genetic analysis toward Pavlovian conditioning mouse models across a variety of conditions that are notoriously sensitive to the placebo effect, including pain, anxiety, depression, and Parkinson’s Disease.
