Somatosensory evoked potentials recorded from the scalp in spinal cord injury: A scoping review of methodological approaches and findings
4 affiliations
- 1School of Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Canada
- 2Centre de recherche interdisciplinaire en réadaptation (CRIR), Site: Institut universitaire sur la réadaptation en déficience physique de Montréal (IURDPM), Montreal, Canada
- 3Multimodal Functional Imaging Lab, Department of Physics and PERFORM Centre, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada
- 4School of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Canada
Abstract
Objective: Somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs) are objective neurophysiological measures of sensory pathway integrity that may serve as biomarkers of neurological recovery after spinal cord injury (SCI). This scoping review synthesized SSEP methodologies used in SCI research to identify methodological gaps, support protocol harmonization, and facilitate their integration into personalized rehabilitation.
Methods: MEDLINE, EBM Reviews and EMBASE were searched using terms related to SCI, peripheral nerve stimulation, and evoked potentials. Extracted data included study design, participant characteristics, stimulation and recording parameters, and primary SSEP outcomes. The review followed Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and PRISMA-ScR guidelines.
Results: Seventy studies published between 1964 and 2023 met the inclusion criteria. SSEPs were most commonly recorded from the contralateral somatosensory cortex, with N20 and P40 components used as primary outcomes for upper- and lower-limb stimulation, respectively. Considerable heterogeneity was observed in stimulation intensity determination, pulse width (0.1–0.5 ms), stimulation frequency (0.5–7 Hz), electrode montage, filtering, and sampling rate. Complete SCI was frequently associated with absent SSEPs, whereas incomplete injuries showed prolonged latency and/or reduced amplitude.
Conclusions: Despite methodological heterogeneity, SSEPs have been used to assess sensory pathway integrity and monitor recovery after SCI. Greater standardization of acquisition and reporting protocols is needed to improve comparability across studies and facilitate clinical translation.
Significance: This review maps how the literature has used SSEPs to assess sensory pathway integrity and monitor recovery after SCI, while highlighting the need for standardized acquisition and reporting practices to improve comparability and support future clinical research.
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BibTeX
@article{ishimwe2026somatosensory,
title = {{Somatosensory evoked potentials recorded from the scalp in spinal cord injury: A scoping review of methodological approaches and findings}},
author = {Alain Patrick Ishimwe and Hassan Khajehpour and Victoria Duda and Dorothy Barthélemy},
journal = {Clinical Neurophysiology Practice},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.cnp.2026.10.008},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cnp.2026.10.008},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Somatosensory evoked potentials recorded from the scalp in spinal cord injury: A scoping review of methodological approaches and findings
AU - Alain Patrick Ishimwe
AU - Hassan Khajehpour
AU - Victoria Duda
AU - Dorothy Barthélemy
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/20
JO - Clinical Neurophysiology Practice
DO - 10.1016/j.cnp.2026.10.008
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cnp.2026.10.008
AB - Objective: Somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs) are objective neurophysiological measures of sensory pathway integrity that may serve as biomarkers of neurological recovery after spinal cord injury (SCI). This scoping review synthesized SSEP methodologies used in SCI research to identify methodological gaps, support protocol harmonization, and facilitate their integration into personalized rehabilitation. Methods: MEDLINE, EBM Reviews and EMBASE were searched using terms related to SCI, peripheral nerve stimulation, and evoked potentials. Extracted data included study design, participant characteristics, stimulation and recording parameters, and primary SSEP outcomes. The review followed Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Results: Seventy studies published between 1964 and 2023 met the inclusion criteria. SSEPs were most commonly recorded from the contralateral somatosensory cortex, with N20 and P40 components used as primary outcomes for upper- and lower-limb stimulation, respectively. Considerable heterogeneity was observed in stimulation intensity determination, pulse width (0.1–0.5 ms), stimulation frequency (0.5–7 Hz), electrode montage, filtering, and sampling rate. Complete SCI was frequently associated with absent SSEPs, whereas incomplete injuries showed prolonged latency and/or reduced amplitude. Conclusions: Despite methodological heterogeneity, SSEPs have been used to assess sensory pathway integrity and monitor recovery after SCI. Greater standardization of acquisition and reporting protocols is needed to improve comparability across studies and facilitate clinical translation. Significance: This review maps how the literature has used SSEPs to assess sensory pathway integrity and monitor recovery after SCI, while highlighting the need for standardized acquisition and reporting practices to improve comparability and support future clinical research.
SN - 2467-981X
ER -