ICMS consists of repetitively applied electrical pulses delivered by a microelectrode. Currents are usually very low (6–12 μA) and very short (200 μs) but applied at high frequencies (about 300 Hz). The resulting temporally synchronized neuronal discharges are highly effective for the induction of re-organizational processes. ICMS has been successfully used to study rapid, i.e. plastic changes inducible within a few hours, in adult motor, somatosensory and auditory cortex and thalamus, which were fully reversible. The region of tissue that is stimulated by direct activation during ICMS is very small (50 to 100 μm).
Somatosensory Reorganization