sham stimulation

Sham stimulation is a procedure used in research studies to act as a control or placebo. It mimics the real treatment but doesn’t deliver the active intervention, helping researchers determine if the actual treatment has genuine effects. Participants often can’t tell whether they’re receiving the real or sham treatment, which helps ensure unbiased results. This approach is commonly used in brain or nerve stimulation studies, ensuring that observed benefits are due to the treatment itself rather than expectations or placebo effects. By comparing real and sham groups, scientists gain clearer insights into the true effectiveness of interventions.