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Updated: Aug 4, 2026

Somatosensory Event-related Potentials from Orofacial Skin Stretch Stimulation
Published on: December 18, 2015
High-frequency signals (> 400 hz): a new window in electrophysiological analysis of the somatosensory system
1Department of Neurology, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87131-0001, USA. okada@unm.edu
Abstract:
High-frequency signals (HFSs) between 400-1500 Hz in Magnetoencephalography (MEG) and Electroencephalography (EEG) provide a new window in electrophysiological analysis of the somatosensory system in humans and in other animals. The HFS in the primary somatosensory (SI) cortex precedes the conventional N20. In the swine model, they appear to be due to spiking in thalamocortical axonal terminals and in the soma and dendrites of cortical neurons. These spiking activities seem to activate slower conductances in the pyramidal cells in layers II-III and V, which give rise to N20. The HFS monitoring may be useful for separately evaluating the electrophysiology of the subcortical and cortical components of the somatosensory pathway.
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