The effects of stimulus rates on high frequency oscillations of median nerve somatosensory-evoked potentials--direct recording study from the human cerebral cortex.

Abstract

To study the effects of different stimulus rates on high-frequency oscillations (HFOs) of somatosensory-evoked potentials (SEPs), we recorded median nerve SEPs directly from the human cerebral cortex. SEPs were recorded from subdural electrodes in 5 patients with intractable epilepsy, under the conditions of low (3.3Hz) and high (12.3Hz) stimulus rates. Increased stimulus rates to the median nerve from 3.3 to 12.3Hz showed a pronounced amplitude reduction of HFOs when compared with the primary N20-P20, area 3b, and P25, area 1, responses. HFOs were more sensitive to a high stimulus rate than the primary cortical responses, suggesting that the post-synaptic intracortical activities may greatly contribute to the HFO generation.