Placebo effects in rehabilitation for neurological disorders

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24500636
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Rehabilitation science/Welfare engineering
• Research Institution: Department of Clinical Research, National Hospital Organization Tokushima National Hospital
• Principal Investigator: KAWAMURA Kazuyuki 独立行政法人国立病院機構徳島病院(臨床研究部), その他部局等, その他 (10450959)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): INUI Toshio 国立病院機構徳島病院, 神経内科, 部長 (40167268) ; MISTUI Takao 国立病院機構徳島病院, 臨床研究部, 部長 (80294726)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): KAJI Ryuji 徳島大学, 大学院ヘルスバイオサイエンス研究部臨床神経科学分野, 教授 (00214304) ; IZUMI Yuishin 徳島大学, 大学院ヘルスバイオサイエンス研究部臨床神経科学分野, 臨床教授 (10335812)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: パーキンソン病 / リハビリテーション / プラセボ効果

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study was aimed to evaluate placebo effects in rehabilitation for Parkinson’s disease. 113 patients with Parkinson’s disease were enrolled in a 5-week inpatient rehabilitation program at Tokushima Hospital. Improvements of parkinsonism during the rehabilitation, assessed as the change of UPDRS scores, were significant and were not affected by status of general cognitive function, frontal lobe function, and mood. Similar improvements were seen when patients repeated the rehabilitation more than twice. Expectations for improvement were high among patients, and it was suggested that placebo effects might play an important role in the Parkinson’s disease rehabilitation.
Genetic analyses of Parkin and Klokin 1 were performed on 42 patients in the study, who were suspected to have hereditary Parkinson’s disease. An Exon 3 deletion in the Parkin gene was found in one patient, and novel point mutations in the Klokin 1 gene in two patients.

Free Research Field

臨床神経学、リハビリテーション医学