CCN talk: April 29, 2024
Andreas Strube
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Laboratory for Affective and Translational Neuroscience
Center for Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Research
McLean Hospital
Exploring Agency and Control in the Bayesian Pain Model
Abstract: The Bayesian pain model proposes that pain perception arises from the integration of somatosensation (likelihood) and expectations (prior), which are weighted by their precision. However, the exact mechanisms by which other cognitive factors than placebo / nocebo expectations influence pain perception within this model remain unclear. Recent research suggests that modulation of the mean or precision of prior or likelihood distributions may be one way in which cognitive factors enter the model. Here, we will examine recent findings on agency and investigate how agency interacts with placebo / nocebo expectations. Further, we will explore the realm of agency and control in pain and pain treatment and will discuss how these findings can be integrated in a Bayesian pain model.