[Recent findings on generators of evoked potentials]

Abstract

In the study of potential generators the dipole localization method is often used. The "equivalent dipole" represents the resultant of all the neurobiological processes (excitatory and inhibitory post-synaptic potentials, action potentials) that concur to generate the evoked potentials. According to the dipole's distance from the active electrode, "near-field" and "far-field" potentials will be recorded, with differences in the spatiotemporal distribution to the skin. The main hypotheses about the generators of standard components of somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP) from median and posterior tibial nerve, visual evoked potentials (VEP), auditory brainstem evoked potentials (BAEP) and P300, are analyzed.