High Disease Perception in Brain Predicts TNF Inhibitor Response in Rheumatoid Arthritis
Research published in The Lancet Rheumatology reveals that high central nervous system pain activation, measured by functional MRI, can predict treatment response to TNF inhibitors in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
This study addresses a new concept of RA, as it shows that patients with high disease perception in the brain are more likely to respond to treatment with TNF inhibition.
According to Georg Schett, MD, of Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, in Germany, this insight highlights the complexity of RA, not only as a disease of the joints but also of the central nervous system (CNS).
Author's summary: Brain disease perception predicts TNF inhibitor response.