[Methodology and normal values in recording evoked motor potentials following transcranial stimulation in the human]

Electric non-invasive stimulation of the motor cortex was performed in 19 healthy subjects. Muscle responses were recorded with surface electrodes from the abductor, pollicis brevis and anterior tibial muscle. The mean central motor latencies for pathways regulating the function of the upper limbs was 4.5 msec (standard deviation 0.5 msec), the corresponding latency for the lower limbs was 9.6 msec (standard deviation 1.2 msec). The reproducibility of latencies and configuration of the potentials obtained indicates that the method described can be used as a reliable method in the diagnosis of affections of the motor system.