Brain functional magnetic resonance activity is associated with response to tumor necrosis factor inhibition

A non-invasive method for predicting a response to a therapy against inflammatory disease for a human subject suffering from said inflammatory disease prior to application of said therapy against inflammatory disease using digital imaging techniques comprising the steps of:

• a) collecting first digital imaging data indicative of neural activity from said human subject suffering from inflammatory disease under standardized control conditions and automatically determining, from said first digital imaging data, a value X of an activated total brain area of said human subject suffering from inflammatory disease:
• b) collecting second digital imaging data indicative of neural activity from said human subject suffering from inflammatory disease upon mechanical compression of a body part affected by said inflammatory disease and automatically determining, from said second digital imaging data, a value Y of an activated total brain area of said human subject suffering from inflammatory disease;
• c) calculating, from said determined values X and Y, a fractional change (X−Y)/Y;
• d) automatically outputting, at an output unit, a signal representing said fractional change (X−Y)/Y;
• wherein if said fractional change (X−Y)/Y is lower than 3, then the signal output is such that it is predictive of a favourable response to therapy against inflammatory disease in the human subject suffering from said inflammatory disease.

A non-invasive method for predicting a response to a therapy against inflammatory disease for a human subject suffering from said inflammatory disease prior to application of said therapy against inflammatory disease using digital imaging techniques comprising the steps of:

• a) collecting first digital imaging data indicative of neural activity from said human subject suffering from inflammatory disease under standardized control conditions and automatically determining, from said first digital imaging data, a value X of an activated total brain area of said human subject suffering from inflammatory disease:
• b) collecting second digital imaging data indicative of neural activity from said human subject suffering from inflammatory disease upon mechanical compression of a body part affected by said inflammatory disease and automatically determining, from said second digital imaging data, a value Y of an activated total brain area of said human subject suffering from inflammatory disease;
• c) calculating, from said determined values X and Y, a fractional change (X−Y)/Y;
• d) automatically outputting, at an output unit, a signal representing said fractional change (X−Y)/Y;
• wherein, if said fractional change (X−Y)/Y is lower than the corresponding mean fractional change as determined according to steps a) to d) in a cohort of control patients suffering from said inflammatory disease who are not responding to said therapy against inflammatory disease, then such is predictive of a favourable response to said therapy against inflammatory disease in said human subject suffering from said inflammatory disease.