Altered cerebral pain processing of noxious stimuli from inflamed joints in rheumatoid arthritis: An event-related fMRI study

Abstract

The results indicate normal pain sensitivity and cerebral pain processing in RA for non-affected sites, while the increased sensitivity at inflamed joints indicate peripheral/spinal sensitization. Brain imaging data suggest that disease-relevant pain processing in RA is marked by aberrations and a failed initiation of cortical top-down regulation.