The Role of Prefrontal Inhibition in Regulating Facial Expressions of Pain: A Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Study

Using rTMS, it was shown that the mPFC is causally involved in the downregulation or silencing of one's facial expression of pain. This might explain why individuals with low mPFC functioning (eg, patients with dementia) are facially more expressive in response to pain.