A comparison of two methods to measure the recovery of nerve fibre excitability.
A methodological study was performed on single myelinated dorsal root fibres of rats. The recovery of excitability following a conditioning electrical stimulus delivered through the same electrode as the test stimulus and following a conditioning propagated nerve impulse were compared. Using low test stimulus strength, the recovery time permitting a propagated test impulse was 2.31 +/- 0.72 ms (mean +/- SD) after a conditioning electrical stimulus and 1.96 +/- 0.78 ms after a conditioning propagated impulse (P less than 0.001). The difference and its significance for clinical refractory period measurements are discussed.
D000200:Action Potentials; D000818:Animals; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D007796:Laminectomy; D008297:Male; D008722:Methods; D009413:Nerve Fibers, Myelinated / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013126:Spinal Nerve Roots / Q000502:physiology*