Effects of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and aspirin on late somatosensory evoked potentials in normal subjects

Abstract

The effects on late somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP) of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) and aspirin (600 mg), compared with placebo, were studied in 32 young, healthy male and female volunteers. SEP were produced by electrical stimulation of the median nerve at moderate, non-painful, intensities. There was a reduction in the peak-to-peak amplitude of the late components N1P2 (N1 latency: 100-160 ms; P2 latency: 160-260 ms) of the SEP in all groups over time. TENS but not aspirin produced further significant changes compared with placebo, including a fall in N1P2 amplitude, an increase in N1 latency, and a decrease in the total excursion of the SEP between 25-450 ms after stimulus onset.