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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 28, 2026

Combining Imaging and Electrophysiology to Visualize and Record Spreading Depolarizations in Mice

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Published on: October 4, 2024

Sustained decrease and remarkable increase in red blood cell velocity in intraparenchymal capillaries associated with

Miyuki Unekawa¹, Minoru Tomita, Yutaka Tomita

¹Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Keio University, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan. unekawa.m@z5.keio.jp

Microcirculation (New York, N.Y. : 1994)

|October 14, 2011

Summary

Cortical spreading depression (CSD) in rats can significantly alter red blood cell (RBC) velocity in brain capillaries, causing either a sustained decrease or a notable increase in flow. This impacts cerebral blood flow dynamics during neurological events.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cerebrovascular Physiology
Cellular Biology

Background:

Cortical spreading depression (CSD) is a wave of neuronal and glial depolarization that propagates across the cerebral cortex.
Understanding the impact of CSD on microcirculation is crucial for comprehending brain injury and dysfunction.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the dynamic changes in red blood cell (RBC) velocity within rat cerebral cortex capillaries during KCl-induced CSD.
To correlate RBC velocity alterations with simultaneous physiological measurements.

Main Methods:

RBC velocity in cortical capillaries was measured using in vivo confocal microscopy in anesthetized rats.
Simultaneous monitoring included DC potential, EEG, partial pressure of oxygen (PO2), and cerebral blood flow (CBF).

Main Results:

CSD events were characterized by DC potential shifts, EEG depression, decreased PO2, and elevated CBF.
RBC velocity distribution shifted downwards during CSD, with some capillaries showing sustained low velocity.
A subset of capillaries exhibited significantly increased RBC velocities during and after CSD.

Conclusions:

Neuronal excitation during CSD can lead to heterogeneous responses in capillary RBC velocity.
These findings suggest complex neurovascular coupling mechanisms are involved in CSD pathophysiology.