JAK-STAT pathway inhibition modulates centrally sensitised default mode network hubs in rheumatoid arthritis pain
medRxiv July 14, 2026 Kristian Stefanov, Joel T. Parkinson, Flavia Sunzini et al.
Abstract Nociplastic pain represents a major burden across immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs). It is hypothesised, but not yet demonstrated, that peripheral inflammation promotes nociplastic pain by bottom-up sensitisation of the central nervous system (CNS). In rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a prototypic IMID, we used ultra–high field (7T) brain resting-state functional MRI to evaluate...