JAK-STAT pathway inhibition modulates centrally sensitised default mode network hubs in rheumatoid arthritis pain

Peripheral inflammation can promote nociplastic pain by sensitizing the central nervous system. In rheumatoid arthritis, JAK-STAT pathway inhibitors shifted inferior parietal lobule–insula connectivity toward a normal pattern, an effect not seen with placebo or anti-TNF therapy. Transcranial magnetic stimulation of the default mode network altered its connectivity and reduced a marker of immune activation, suggesting a bi-directional brain–immune circuit. These findings provide the first human experimental evidence that peripheral JAK-STAT pathways contribute to nociplastic pain in immune-mediated inflammatory diseases.

Study at a glance

Abstract

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 whether peripherally targeted anti-inflammatory therapies alter a biomarker of bottom-up CNS sensitisation: inferior parietal lobule (IPL)–insula connectivity. In discovery and replication cohorts, JAK-STAT pathway inhibitors significantly shifted IPL–insula connectivity toward a normalised pattern. This effect was not seen with placebo or anti-TNF therapy. Moreover, after performing an agnostic whole-brain multivariate analysis of functional connectivity change related to JAK-STAT inhibition, the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) was identified; like the IPL, a major hub of the default mode network (DMN). We then probed the DMN with transcranial magnetic stimulation in an independent RA cohort. Active, but not sham, stimulation altered DMN connectivity and reduced peripheral blood monocyte pSTAT3 function, a surrogate of immune inactivation, suggesting a bi-directional brain–immune circuit. Together, these findings provide the first human experimental evidence that peripheral JAK-STAT pathways contribute to nociplastic pain in IMIDs. One Sentence Summary Blocking peripheral JAK-STAT signalling reduces both objective and subjective nociplastic pain in rheumatoid arthritis, revealing a localised inflammatory driver behind a traditionally non-inflammatory pain state.