Placebo’s Effect May Depend on Your Genes

Your response to placebos, or dummy medicine, may depend on your genes, according to a new study.

People with a gene variant that codes for higher levels of the brain chemical dopamine respond better to placebos than those with the low-dopamine version.

The findings, reported online Oct. 23 in the journal PLoS One, could help researchers design medical studies that distinguish the placebo response from the underlying effect of a medicine — the real aim of drug trials.