spreading depolarization

[spred-ing dee-poh-luh-rahy-zey-shuhn]

noun

Pathology.

1. a wave of injury killing many neurons in the brain, spreading outward from the site of a stroke or other brain trauma as an increasing number of neurons release their glutamine.

Word History and Origins

Origin of spreading depolarization¹

First recorded in 1990–95

Example Sentences

They also found that the mutant animal tissue responded more readily to their efforts to induce spreading depolarization after death, by changing the chemical solution in which the samples were bathed.

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Noebels wonders if the gene mutations might make it easier for spreading depolarization to take hold.

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There’s hope that certain drugs can inhibit spreading depolarization, including some migraine therapies and antidepressants.

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Nine of 18 mice had what’s called “spreading depolarization” in their brain stem—essentially, a shutdown of electric activity that sweeps across the critical brain region and silences neurons.

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Spreading depolarization has been recorded in other neurologic conditions, but it usually happens in parts of the brain where it’s not normally fatal.

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