Evoked cortical potentials in experimental spinal cord trauma

Abstract

✓ The somatosensory cortical evoked response following tibial nerve stimulation was recorded for 4 hours in cats sustaining 100, 300, and 500 gm-cm impact injuries to the posterior thoracic, posterior cervical, and anterior cervical spinal cord. The return of the evoked response could be correlated with the severity of pathological damage to the spinal cord. The evoked potential returned almost immediately in animals sustaining only gray matter petechial hemorrhages, was delayed until 1 hour in animals with perigray white matter hemorrhages, and did not return at all in animals with central cavitation and posterior column fragmentation.