The Journal of Neurophysiology Vol. 84 No. 5 November 2000, pp. 2449-2457
Copyright ©2000 by the American Physiological Society

Modulation of Spreading Depression by Changes in Extracellular pH

Department of Physiology and Neuroscience and Department of Neurosurgery, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York 10016

Tong, C. K. and M. Chesler. Modulation of Spreading Depression by Changes in Extracellular pH. J. Neurophysiol. 84: 2449-2457, 2000. Spreading depression (SD) and related phenomena have been implicated in hypoxic-ischemic injury. In such settings, SD occurs in the presence of marked extracellular acidosis. SD itself can also generate changes in extracellular pH (pH_o), including a pronounced early alkaline shift. In a hippocampal slice model, we investigated the effect of interstitial acidosis on the generation and propagation of SD in the CA1 stratum radiatum. In addition, a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor (benzolamide) was used to decrease buffering of the alkaline shift to investigate its role in the modulation of SD. pH_o was lowered by a decrease in saline HCO₃ (from 26 to 13 to 6.5 mM at 5% CO₂), or by an increase in the CO₂ content (from 5 to 15% in 26 mM HCO₃). Recordings with pH microelectrodes revealed respective pHo values of 7.23 ± 0.13, 6.95 ± 0.10, 6.67 ± 0.09, and 6.97 ± 0.12. The overall effect of acidosis was an increase in the threshold for SD induction, a decrease in velocity, and a shortened SD duration. This inhibition was most pronounced at the lowest pH_o (in 6.5 mM HCO₃) where SD was often blocked. The effects of acidosis were reversible on return to control saline. Benzolamide (10 µM) caused an approximate doubling of the early alkaline shift to an amplitude of 0.3-0.4 U pH. The amplified alkalosis was associated with an increased duration and/or increased velocity of the wave. These effects were most pronounced in acidic media (13 mM HCO₃/5% CO₂) where benzolamide increased the SD duration by 55 ± 32%. The initial velocity (including time for induction) and propagation velocity (measured between distal electrodes) were enhanced by 35 ± 25 and 26 ± 16%, respectively. Measurements of [Ca²⁺]_o demonstrated an increase in duration of the Ca²⁺ transient when the alkaline shift was amplified by benzolamide. The augmentation of SD caused by benzolamide was blocked in media containing the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist DL2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid. These data indicate that the induction and propagation of SD is inhibited by a fall in baseline pH characteristic of ischemic conditions and that the early alkaline shift can remove this inhibition by relieving the proton block on NMDA receptors. Under ischemic conditions, the intrinsic alkalosis may therefore enable SD and thereby contribute to NMDA receptor-mediated injury.