Modeling cortical spreading depression

Cortical spreading depression is a wave of electrical silence and biochemical changes that spreads across the cerebral cortex. Recently there has been a growing recognition that it may be an important pathophysiological event in a number of neurological disorders. In this paper, we describe a reaction-diffusion model of the extracellular potassium changes that are a central part of this process. Simulations with the model show that an appropriate stimulus evokes a moving wave of increased potassium with many similarities to that seen experimentally. The resultant model is a useful computational tool for future study of the effects of spreading depression on the cortex.