Patrick Pruitt

B.S. in Psychology, Michigan State University

Research Mentor: Jon-Kar Zubieta

What's going on in the brain that allows an "inert" placebo pill to exert a biological and psychological effect? And why do placebo pills make some people feel better, but have no effect on others? I investigate the cognitive processes underlying antidepressant placebo response in patients with Major Depressive Disorder. Using neuroimaging, I seek to understand how individual differences in brain activity during cognitive tasks and neurotransmitter binding may predict differences in placebo and treatment response.