Time resolved 3-dimensional recording of redox ratio during spreading depression in gerbil brain

Optical fluorescence and reflectance measurements have been used to map the distribution of metabolic states in three dimensions in the gerbil brain with a spatial resolution of 200 microns an a time resolution of 4-6 s. In Mongolian gerbils anesthetized with pentobarbital, the redox states of the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) and flavoprotein components of the electron transport chain exhibit two distinct phases during the wave of spreading depression: (1) a transient period of oxidation and (2) a prolonged period of reduction, during which the cytochromes are reduced, and the hemoglobin is predominantly in the deoxy form. These data are interpreted as indicating that the energy demand placed on the gerbil brain during such spreading depression wave is sufficient to drive the brain temporarily hypoxic.