Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 27, 2026

Purification of Fibroblasts and Schwann Cells from Sensory and Motor Nerves in Vitro
Published on: May 20, 2020
Comparison of motor and sensory response of InterStim® for overactive bladder syndrome
Jennifer Lee1, Kathryn Osann, Karen Noblett
1From the *Division of Urogynecology, Kaiser Permanente Orange County, Anaheim, CA; †Department of Medicine, and ‡Division of Urogynecology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA.
Aims:
To determine the correlation of InterStim amplitudes required to evoke motor and sensory responses in subjects with overactive bladder (OAB) and to determine if subjects reprogrammed to achieve motor response have improvement in voiding diary parameters.
Methods:
Descriptive pilot study of patients with an existing sacral nerve stimulation (SNS) device for OAB. Subjects completed voiding diaries and reported subjective improvement at current settings. Subject's implantable pulse generator was interrogated while surface electromyography (EMG) was performed using a rectal sponge electrode. Electromyography was evaluated for baseline motor response demonstrated by compound muscle action potential (cMAP) at current settings. Stimulation amplitude was reduced to zero then incrementally increased. Amplitudes evoking subject sensation and motor response were recorded and used for correlation calculation. Subjects without baseline motor response were reprogrammed to achieve cMAP, and voiding diaries were completed after reprogramming.
Results:
Thirty-one subjects were recruited. Twelve (39%) had motor response (cMAP) at baseline settings. Subjects with motor response were significantly more likely to report sensation of stimulation versus those without (55% vs 17%; P = 0.04). Amplitudes evoking motor response were found to be significantly correlated to those for sensory response (r = 0.90; P < 0.0005). Sixteen of 19 subjects without baseline motor response were successfully reprogrammed to achieve cMAP. Improvements in nocturia, incontinence, and urgency incontinence episodes (14.4%, 19.8%, 18.2%; nonsignificant) were seen in the reprogrammed group.
Conclusion:
Sacral nerve stimulation motor and sensory amplitudes were highly correlated in our cohort, and subjects with motor response were significantly more likely to feel sensation of stimulation. This supports the theory that both motor efferent and sensory afferent portions of the sacral nerve may contribute to SNS mechanism.
Related Concept Videos
Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex
Motor Areas
The motor areas located in the frontal lobe are central to controlling voluntary movements. This region is further subdivided into the primary motor cortex and the premotor cortex....
What is a Sensory System?
Urinary Bladder
In males, the bladder is situated in front of the rectum, while in females, it is positioned anterior to the vagina and uterus. The bladder floor contains an inverted triangular area called the trigone, defined by the two ureteric...
The Sense of Self: Reflected Self-Appraisal and Social Comparison
Multiple Comparison Tests
It would be easy to compare two samples using a significance alpha level of 0.05. In other words, there is only one sample pair to be compared. However, it would be difficult to identify a significantly different sample if the number...
Sensory Modalities
General senses refer to the broad category of sensory information detected by receptors in the body and can be further grouped into somatic and visceral senses. Somatic sensations include touch, pressure, temperature, and pain and are essential for navigating our environment and...

