Psychophysiological consequences of increased somatosensory cortex excitability studied by paired median nerve stimulation in humans

Introduction: Combining a paired-pulse protocol consisting of paired electrical stimulation of the median nerve in combination with recordings of somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) and psychophysical tests, we studied changes of cortical excitability in the somatosensory cortex and changes of tactile perception after coactivation. Methods: We recruited 14 healthy right-handed subjects (5 female/9 male /mean age 23.7 years). All participants underwent electroneurographic and clinical neurological examinations before their participation to exclude peripheral nerve damage.We measured somatosensory evoked potent…