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Nerve Stimulator

A nerve stimulator supplies electrons to depolarise a nerve. The number of electrons supplied per stimulus equals the current. To make sure that the nerve is completely depolarised we keep winding up the stimulating current until the muscular response does not increase any more, then we add another 10%. This is called the supra-maximal stimulus. At this point we assume that the nerve supplying the muscle is completely depolarised. As a result the muscle must be maximally stimulated by the nerve. The muscle contraction that results must also be maximal. (The contraction is also called a twitch). The muscle response to the stimulus is called a twitch. The amount or strength of movement is called the twitch height. (From the height of the trace on a recorder.) To allow comparison of twitches it is essential that this current remains constant to ensure the nerve is always completely depolarised.

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