Cortical Spreading Depression and Ischemia in Neurocritical Patients
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Updated: Aug 15, 2026

A Preclinical Controlled Cortical Impact Model for Traumatic Hemorrhage Contusion and Neuroinflammation
Published on: June 10, 2020
Néstor Wainsztein1, Federico Rodríguez Lucci2
1Department of Internal Medicine, Neurocritical Care Unit, Institute of Neurological Research, FLENI, Montañeses 2325, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Abstract:
Spreading depolarization in cerebral cortex is associated with swelling of neurons, distortion of dendritic spines, massive ion translocation with a large change of the slow electrical potential, and silencing of brain electrical activity. The term spreading depression represents a wave of spontaneous activity of the electrocorticogram that propagates through contiguous cerebral gray matter at a characteristic velocity. Spreading depression is a consequence of cortical spreading depolarization. Therefore, spreading depolarization is not always accompanied by spreading depression and the terms are not synonymous.
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