Neurological research
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Neurological research · Oct 2008
Case ReportsRepetitive cortical spreading depolarizations in a case of severe brain trauma.
Cortical spreading depolarizations (CSD) are waves of mass tissue depolarization that mediate progressive development of cortical infarction in animal models and occur in approximately 50% of patients with acute brain injury. Here we performed multi-modal cerebral monitoring to investigate pathologies associated with CSD occurrence in a case of severe traumatic brain injury. ⋯ Repetitive mass tissue depolarizations accompanied a negative course of hemorrhagic lesion progression in the presence of ischemic conditions after traumatic brain injury. Whether as cause or effect, CSD may represent an inherent component of progressive metabolic failure leading to tissue death, and temperature appears to be an important factor influencing their occurrence. Continuous ECoG is a valuable tool for monitoring subclinical events such as CSD and seizures and for translational research in acute brain injury mechanisms and therapeutics.