Afterdischarges during cortical stimulation at different frequencies and intensities

Summary Purpose The occurrence of unwanted afterdischarges (ADs) impedes cortical stimulation for mapping purposes. We investigated the safety of several stimulation paradigms. Methods We compared the incidence of ADs and behavioral responses of two stimulation frequencies (50 and 100 Hz), at two intensities (1 and 0.2 ms pulse widths). Results Stimulation with 100 Hz was more likely to cause ADs than 50 Hz, and stimulation using 1 ms pulse width was more likely to cause ADs than 0.2 ms. Conclusions Stimulation using 50 Hz frequency with a pulse width of 0.2 ms might be safer during cortical mapping.