Why is it that some people get better even though they are given nothing more than a sugar pill? Well, scientists have wondered why too. A new study by Tomas Furmark of Uppsala University in Sweden took 25 volunteers with social anxiety disorder and measured the activity in the amygdala, the emotional center of the brain. This was done by having the volunteers give a speech at the start and end of the treatment period.

To find out more about the study and the common neurotransmitter involved, read Andy Coglan’s article, “First Placebo Gene Discovered” in New Scientist.