Postsynaptic potentials in motoneurons caused by spinal cord stimulation in humans.

Epidural spinal cord stimulation (SCS) causes facilitation and/or inhibition of spinal motoneurons many segments below the level of the cathode. On the assumption that a spinal cord pathway is activated by the cathode the conduction velocity of the fiber system responsible for the facilitation of soleus motoneurons was estimated to be between 21.5 and 27 m/sec. It is clear that SCS in man can generate postsynaptic potentials in spinal neurons and thus is capable of modifying transmission in spinal segmental pathways.