Systematics of the Evoked Somatosensory Cortical Potential

This paper presents the results of a series of experimental studies in which a digital computer averaging technique was used to explore the dynamics of the electric response of the human somatosensory cortex evoked by pulse electrical stimulation of nerves in the wrist. A nomenclature is presented for the typical components of the complex waveform which the authors consider to be representative of the evoked potential. The effects of stimulus amplitude, bilateral and bitemporal stimulation, and sleep on the evoked corticogram were investigated. Psychophysical studies were also carried out which complemented the evoked potential studies, and comparisons were made between the neurological and psychological data.