All you need to know about Evoked Potentials

Evoked potentials are diagnostic techniques through sensory stimuli and recording of brain responses you get the specialist in Clinical Neurophysiology , value the integrity of the sensory pathways stimulated.

What are they evoked potentials

These diagnostic tests to patients suffering some of these pathologies are recommended:

• optic neuritis
• Multiple sclerosis
• Hearing loss
• traumatic brain injury
• spinal cord injury
• neuropathies
• cognitive impairment (dementia or Alzheimer)
• mental affectations (depressions)

  

   

Types of evoked potentials

There are several types of evoked potentials depending on the pathology and the area you want to explore:

• Visual: the patient receives stimuli from a screen (intermittent flashes of light) to study how the brain processes.
• Auditory Brainstem: stimuli are transmitted to the ear by ear.
• Somestesic: the patient receives small electrical cramps in the upper limbs (arms), lower (legs), area of ​​the trigeminal nerve (responsible Touch the face), the pudendal nerve (in the pelvic region) or endogenous to study how to receive tactile stimuli.

Evoked potential

Before undergoing the test, patients should wash the body parts where the electrodes will be applied, but no hairspray or cologne or products of this type can be applied. The test, which lasts about 30 minutes, is completely painless.