Cortical spreading depressions: effects on intracellular Ca2+ concentration and mechanisms of propagation

Funded Activity Summary

Human neuropathologies such as migraine, stroke, focal epilepsy and head injury all appear to involve an event called cortical spreading depression (CSD). This is characterised by a transient loss of excitability of cells that slowly spreads from a site of initiation out across the cortical surface. In normal brain tissue CSDs do not kill cells but in tissue with less than optimal energy supply CSDs do kill cells. This project is designed to understand the mechanisms contributing to CSD-induced cell death. It is widely accepted that a high intracellular concentration of calcium ions is lethal to a cell. Thus, the proposed experiments are expected to show that a single episode of CSD in normal brain tissue induces only small changes in the intracellular calcium ion concentration but if repeated episodes of CSD occur, and if they take place in tissue with a compromised energy supply, then the calcium concentration rises to detrimental levels. Little is known about the mechanisms which underlie the propagation of CSD and therefore experiments will also be undertaken to investigate whether release of a messenger into the extracellular space is important or if there is a role for release of calcium from intracellular stores.

Funded Activity Details

Start Date: 01-01-2001

End Date: 01-01-2003

Funding Scheme: NHMRC Project Grants

Funding Amount: $185,604.00

Funder: National Health and Medical Research Council

Research Topics

ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)

Medical infection agents (incl. prions)

ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)

There are no SEO codes available for this funding activity

Other Keywords

astrocytes | calcium stores | cerebral ischaemia | cortical spreading depression | intracellular calcium | migraine | stroke

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