Heterogeneous incidence and propagation of spreading depolarizations

TLDR

Spreading depolarizations are implicated in a diverse set of neurologic diseases and are unusual, slow, concentric-like activity that does not respect brain architecture, yet evidence shows they are not truly concentric, isotropic, or homogeneous in space or time. The study presents evidence from KCl‑induced spreading depolarizations in mice and rats, both in vivo and in vitro, to demonstrate their great variability. The authors induced spreading depolarizations with KCl in mice and rats, using both in vivo and in vitro preparations. This variability can inform mechanistic understanding and has implications for the phenomenology of spreading depolarizations in neurologic disease.

Abstract

Spreading depolarizations are implicated in a diverse set of neurologic diseases. They are unusual forms of nervous system activity in that they propagate very slowly and approximately concentrically, apparently not respecting the anatomic, synaptic, functional, or vascular architecture of the brain. However, there is evidence that spreading depolarizations are not truly concentric, isotropic, or homogeneous, either in space or in time. Here we present evidence from KCl-induced spreading depolarizations, in mouse and rat, in vivo and in vitro, showing the great variability that these depolarizations can exhibit. This variability can help inform the mechanistic understanding of spreading depolarizations, and it has implications for their phenomenology in neurologic disease.