evoked potential

potential /po·ten·tial/ (po-ten´shal)

1. existing and ready for action, but not active.

2. the work per unit charge necessary to move a charged body in an electric field from a reference point to another point, measured in volts.

---

action potential  (AP) the electrical activity developed in a muscle or nerve cell during activity.

after-potential  afterpotential.

electric potential , electrical potential potential (2).

evoked potential  (EP) the electrical signal recorded from a sensory receptor, nerve, muscle, or area of the central nervous system that has been stimulated, usually by electricity.

membrane potential  the electric potential existing on the two sides of a membrane or across the cell wall.

resting potential  the potential difference across the membrane of a normal cell at rest.

spike potential  the initial, very large change in potential of an excitable cell membrane during excitation.

---

Evoked potential

A test of nerve response that uses electrodes placed on the scalp to measure brain reaction to a stimulus such as a touch.

Mentioned in: Spinal Stenosis

---

evoked potential (EP)

[ivōkt′]

Etymology: L, evocare, to call forth, potentia, power

an electrical response in the brainstem or cerebral cortex that is elicited by a specific stimulus. The stimulus may affect the visual, auditory, or somatosensory pathway, producing a characteristic brain wave pattern. The activity and function of the system may be monitored during surgery while the patient is unconscious. The surgeon is thus able to prevent damage to the nerves during operative procedures. Evoked potentials are also used to diagnose multiple sclerosis and various disorders of hearing and of sight. Kinds of evoked potentials include brainstem auditory evoked response, somatosensory evoked potential, and visual evoked potential. See also brain electric activity map.

---

evoked potential,

n an electrical response in the brainstem or cerebral cortex that is elicited by a specific stimulus. This property of the brain may be used to monitor brain function during surgery.

---

evoked potential

see evoked response.