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Abstract: Objective: To investigate whether recording from deep intracerebral (IC) electrodes can disclose laser evoked potential (LEP) components generated under the cerebral cortex. Methods: LEPs were recorded to hand and/or perioral region stimulation from 7 patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease, who underwent implant of IC electrodes in the globus pallidum pars interna (GPi), in the subthalamic nucleus (STN) and in the pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN). LEPs were obtained from the IC electrode contacts and from the Cz vertex, referred to the nose. Results: The scalp traces showed a triphasic response (P1-N2-P2). The IC electrodes recorded two main components (ICP2 and ICN2), showing the same latencies as the scalp N2 and P2 potentials, respectively. The ICP2-ICN2 complex was sometimes preceded by a ICP1 wave at the same latency of the scalp P1 response. Conclusions: The LEP components recorded from the IC electrodes mirrored the ones picked up from the Cz lead, thus suggesting that they are probably generated by the opposite pole of the same cortical sources producing the scalp responses. Significance: In the IC traces, there was no evidence of earlier potentials possibly generated within the thalamus or of subcortical far-field responses. This means that the nociceptive signal amplification occurring within the cerebral cortex is necessary to produce identifiable LEP components. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objective: To investigate whether the reduction of amplitude of the scalp somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) during movement (gating) is due to an attenuation of the afferent volley at subcortical level.Methods: Median nerve SEPs were recorded from 9 patients suffering from Parkinson''s disease, who underwent implant of intracerebral (IC) electrodes in the subthalamic nucleus or in the globus pallidum. SEPs were recorded from Erb''s point ipsilateral to stimulation, from the scalp surface and from the IC leads, at rest and during a voluntary flexo-extension movement of the stimulated wrist. The recorded IC traces were submitted to an off-line filtering by a 300–1500 bandpass to obtain the high-frequency SEP bursts.Results: IC leads recorded a triphasic component (P1–N1–P2) from 14 to 22 ms of latency. The amplitudes of the scalp N20, P20 and N30 potentials and of the IC triphasic component were significantly decreased during movement, while the peripheral N9 amplitude remained unchanged. Also the IC bursts, whose frequency was around 1000 Hz, were reduced in amplitude by the voluntary movement.Conclusions: Since the IC triphasic component is probably generated by neurons of the thalamic ventro-postero-lateral nucleus, which receive the somatosensory afferent volley, the P1–N1 amplitude reduction during movement suggests that the gating phenomenon involves also the subcortical structures. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]