Submitted on May 15, 2008
Revised on June 14, 2008
Accepted on June 20, 2008
Cold stimuli evoke potentials can be recorded directly from parasylvian cortex in humans
Joel D. Greenspan1, Shinji Ohara2, Piotr Franaszczuk3, Judy S Veldhuijzen4, and Fred A Lenz5*
1 University of Maryland Dental School
2 Kyoto Kizugawa Hospital
3 Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
4 University of Maryland
5 Johns Hopkins Hospital
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: flenz1{at}jhmi.edu.
Anatomic, imaging and lesion studies suggest that parasylvian cortical structures, and their corresponding thalamic nuclei, mediate the sensation of nonpainful cold. We have now tested the hypothesis that these cortical structures receive input from receptors which respond to cold stimuli. We recorded the response to cold stimuli from electrodes implanted directly over parasylvian cortex for the investigation of intractable seizures. The results demonstrate that slow potentials can be evoked consistently over structures adjacent to the sylvian fissure in response to nonpainful cold stimuli. The polarity of these cold EPs for electrodes above the sylvian fissure is opposite to those below. These results suggest that the generator of these potentials is close to the Sylvian fissure in the parietal operculum or insula.
