Cotransporters in Spreading Depolarization-Induced Neuronal Swelling

[skirov13]

Material below summarizes the article, Chloride Cotransporters as a Molecular Mechanism underlying Spreading Depolarization-Induced Dendritic Beading, published on Sepetember 2, 2015 in JNeurosci and authored by Annette B. Steffensen, Jeremy Sword, Deborah Croom, Sergei A. Kirov, and Nanna MacAulay.

Ischemic stroke and traumatic brain injury cause a loss of blood supply to the site of injury (the ischemic core) and reduced flow to the surrounding area (the ischemic penumbra). A rapid drop of ATP in the ischemic core leads to the failure of the ATP-dependent Na+/K±pump and a resultant collapse of the ionic transmembrane gradients. This ionic shift triggers recurrent waves of spreading depolarization which spreads across neurons and astrocytes as they actively propagate a collapse of ion gradients in cerebral gray matter. This results in dramatic neuronal and glial swelling. Neuronal cytotoxic edema induced by spreading depolarization involves swelling of soma and dendrites, which causes dendrites to resemble beads on a string. This focal dendritic swelling is therefore termed dendritic beading.

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