[share_ebook] Cranial Nerves in Health And Disease

The first evidence that electrical changes can cause muscles to contract was p- vided by Galvani (1791). Galvani’s ideas about ‘animal electricity’ were explored during the 19th and 20th century when it was firmly established that ‘electricity’ is one of the most important mechanisms used for communication by the nervous system and muscle. These researches lead to the development of ever more soph- ticated equipment that could either record the electrical changes in nerves and muscles, or elicit functional changes by electrically stimulating these structures. It was indeed the combination of these two methods that elucidated many of the basic principles about the function of the nervous system. Following these exciting findings, it was discovered that electrical stimulation and the functions elicited by it also lead to long-term changes in the properties of nerves and particularly muscles.