Deactivation of distant pain-related regions induced by 20-day rTMS: a case study of one-week pain relief for long-term intractable deafferentation pain.

Background: Deafferentation pain secondary to brachial plexus avulsion, spinal cord injury, and other peripheral nerve injuries is often refractory to conventional treatments. Stimulation of the primary motor cortex (M1) has been proven to be an effective treatment for intractable deafferentation pain. The mechanisms underlying the attenuation of deafferentation pain by motor cortex stimulation remain hypothetical.