Dartmouth College · PsychologyPlacebo Effects and Neurobiology Lab
Tor D. Wager · Hanover, New Hampshire
Research Focus
Dr. Tor D. Wager's lab at Dartmouth College focuses on understanding how placebo treatments can lead to real changes in brain activity and improve mental health outcomes. The lab investigates the neuroscientific mechanisms behind placebo effects, emphasizing the role of interpersonal interactions and mental states. Their research aims to bridge the gap between placebo studies and clinical applications in psychological and neurological treatments.
placebo effectneurobiologymental healthinterpersonal relationshipsfMRIcognitive processespain managementmindfulness
Research Aims
4AIM 01Develop an interpersonal placebo paradigm to study provider-recipient interactions.
AIM 02Investigate placebo effects on pain, fear, and cognitive performance using fMRI and autonomic responses.
AIM 03Explore how mindfulness enhances receptivity to placebo suggestions.
AIM 04Test computational models of placebo treatments and learning dynamics.
Skills the Lab Values
fMRI imagingautonomic response measurementcomputational modelingneurobiological data analysisinterpersonal interaction assessmentpsychological assessmentselectroencephalography (EEG)clinical research methods
Output against the department
Publications618top 4% of dept.12th of 296
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations97ktop 1% of dept.3rd of 296
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.