An experimental analysis of classically conditioned nausea during cancer chemotherapy Journal Article


Authors: Bovbjerg, D. H.; Redd, W. H.; Jacobsen, P. B.; Manne, S. L.; Taylor, K. L.; Surbone, A.; Crown, J. P.; Norton, L.; Gilewski, T. A.; Hudis, C. A.; Reichman, B. S.; Kaufman, R. J.; Currie, V. E.; Hakes, T. B.
Article Title: An experimental analysis of classically conditioned nausea during cancer chemotherapy
Abstract: This study investigated classical conditioning in women undergoing outpatient adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer. Breast cancer chemotherapy outpatients were randomly assigned either to an Experimental Group (exposed to a distinctive stimulus before each infusion of chemotherapy) or to a Control Group. After repeated infusions of chemotherapy, patients' responses to the experimental stimulus were assessed in a location not associated with chemotherapy. Experimental Group patients had increased nausea (self-reported on a visual analog scale) following the presentation of the experimental stimulus at this test trial, whereas Control Group patients did not. Two other measures of nausea corroborated these results. Post hoc statistical analyses confirmed predictions based on conditioning theory. This conditioning model of anticipatory nausea bears witness to the relevance of classical conditioning in clinical medicine.
Keywords: adult; controlled study; cancer adjuvant therapy; chemotherapy; analysis; demography; breast cancer; nausea; self report; outpatient; human experiment; learning; anticipation; beverage; conditioning; visual stimulation; cancer; human; female; priority journal; article; classical conditioning; anticipatory nausea; conditioned nausea; latent inhibition
Journal Title: Psychosomatic Medicine
Volume: 54
Issue: 6
ISSN: 0033-3174
Publisher: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins  
Date Published: 1992-11-01
Start Page: 623
End Page: 637
Language: English
DOI: 10.1097/00006842-199211000-00001
PUBMED: 1454956
PROVIDER: scopus
DOI/URL:
Notes: Source: Scopus
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MSK Authors
  1. Clifford Hudis
    905 Hudis
  2. Larry Norton
    758 Norton
  3. Violante Currie
    51 Currie
  4. Thomas B Hakes
    115 Hakes
  5. Antonella   Surbone
    33 Surbone
  6. Sharon L. Manne
    29 Manne
  7. John Crown
    47 Crown
  8. William H. Redd
    48 Redd
  9. Richard J Kaufman
    13 Kaufman