Cortical spreading depression induces an LTP-like effect in rat neocortex in vitro

• Published in: Brain research Vol. 781; no. 1; pp. 339 - 342
• Main Authors: Footitt, David R, Newberry, Nigel R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Elsevier B.V 19.01.1998; Amsterdam Elsevier; New York, NY
• Subjects: AMPA; Analysis of Variance; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Central nervous system; Cortical Spreading Depression - physiology; Cortical-spreading depression; Electrophysiology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; In Vitro Techniques; Long-term potentiation; Long-Term Potentiation - physiology; Male; Membrane Potentials - physiology; Neocortex - physiology; NMDA; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate - physiology; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs; NMDA; AMPA; Cortical-spreading depression; Long-term potentiation; Potentiation; Cerebral cortex; Rat; Rodentia; Central nervous system; Glutamate receptor; Long term; Vertebrata; AMPA receptor; Mammalia; Synaptic transmission; Spreading depression; NMDA receptor; Brain (vertebrata)
• ISSN: 0006-8993; 1872-6240
• DOI: 10.1016/S0006-8993(97)01359-0

We have developed an in vitro model of spreading depression (SD) in rat neocortex. KCl application induced a propagating wave of SD associated with a change of optical lucency and an extracellular negative wave. Both of these were abolished by aminophosphonovaleric acid (100 μM), indicating SD's mediation by NMDA receptors. SD abolished synaptically-mediated field potentials in layer II and this depression was followed by a previously undescribed, sustained LTP-like enhancement of transmission.