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. 2014 Jun;58(2):170-83.

The origin, and application of somatosensory evoked potentials as a neurophysiological technique to investigate neuroplasticity

Steven R Passmore  1 , Bernadette Murphy  2 , Timothy D Lee  3
Affiliations

The origin, and application of somatosensory evoked potentials as a neurophysiological technique to investigate neuroplasticity

Steven R Passmore et al. J Can Chiropr Assoc. 2014 Jun.

Abstract
in English, French

Somatosensory evoked potentionals (SEPs) can be used to elucidate differences in cortical activity associated with a spinal manipulation (SM) intervention. The purpose of this narrative review is to overview the origin and application of SEPs, a neurophysiological technique to investigate neuroplasticity. Summaries of: 1) parameters for SEP generation and waveform recording; 2) SEP peak nomenclature, interpretation and generators; 3) peaks pertaining to tactile information processing (relevant to both chiropractic and other manual therapies); 4) utilization and application of SEPs; 5) SEPs concurrent with an experimental task and at baseline/control/pretest; 6) SEPs pain studies; and 7) SEPs design (pre/post) and neural reorganization/neuroplasticity; and 8) SEPs and future chiropractic research are all reviewed. Understanding what SEPs are, and their application allows chiropractors, educators, and other manual therapists interested in SM to understand the context, and importance of research findings from SM studies that involve SEPs.

Les potentiels évoqués somesthésiques (PES) peuvent servir à élucider les différences dans l’activité corticale liée à une manipulation vertébrale (MV). La présente revue narrative a pour objet de donner un aperçu de l’origine et de l’application des PES, une technique neurophysiologique servant à étudier la neuroplasticité. Les sujets suivants feront l’objet de résumés : 1) paramètres pour la génération de PES et l’enregistrement des formes d’ondes; 2) nomenclature, interprétation et générateurs du point maximum de PES; 3) points maximums relatifs au traitement de l’information tactile (pertinent pour la chiropratique et les autres thérapies manuelles); 4) l’utilisation et l’application des PES; 5) PES en même temps qu’une tâche expérimentale et au point de référence/prétest; 6) les PES et les études sur la douleur; 7) conception des PES (pré/post) et réorganisation neuronale/neuroplasticité; 8) les PES et la recherche future en chiropratique. Comprendre ce que sont les PES ainsi que leur application permet aux chiropraticiens, aux éducateurs et aux autres thérapeutes manuels qui s’intéressent à la MV de comprendre le contexte et l’importance des conclusions des recherches sur la MV où l’on a recours aux PES.

Keywords: chiropractic; manipulation; neuroplasticity; somatosensory evoked potential.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Dosal column-medial lemniscal pathway.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Relevant 10–20 system electrode placement sites.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Typical SEPs waveform.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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