A pedicle screw may include an electrically conductive portion formed from a material having a greater electrical conductivity than that of the base material from which the screw is formed. The electrically conductive portion preferentially channels electrical energy supplied by an electrical probe to a location of the electrically conductive portion facing the nerve root. The portion thus provides a sort of electrical highway that helps to focus the electrical energy applied to the pedicle screw in a particular direction, towards the presumed location of the nerve root. As an alternative to placement of the electrically conductive portion in the pedicle screw itself, the electrically conductive portion could be placed within a tap that is used in preparing the pedicle for receipt of the pedicle screw (e.g., in forming the threaded structure in the pedicle bone into which the pedicle screw will then be placed).
