Enhancement of the amplitude of somatosensory evoked potentials following magnetic pulse stimulation of the human brain.

In this study we have demonstrated an enhancement of cortically generated wave forms of the somatosensory evoked potential (SEP) following magnetic pulse stimulation of the human brain. Subcortically generated activity was unaltered. The enhancement of SEP amplitude was greatest when the median nerve was stimulated 30-70 msec following magnetic pulse stimulation over the contralateral parietal scalp. We posit that the enhancement of the SEP is the result of synchronization of pyramidal cells in the sensorimotor cortex resulting from the magnetic pulse.