Cortical spreading depression causes and coincides with tissue
Transcription
Cortical spreading depression causes and coincides with tissue
© 2007 Nature Publishing Group http://www.nature.com/natureneuroscience ARTICLES Cortical spreading depression causes and coincides with tissue hypoxia Takahiro Takano1, Guo-Feng Tian1, Weiguo Peng1, Nanhong Lou1, Ditte Lovatt1, Anker J Hansen2, Karl A Kasischke1 & Maiken Nedergaard1 Cortical spreading depression (CSD) is a self-propagating wave of cellular depolarization that has been implicated in migraine and in progressive neuronal injury after stroke and head trauma. Using two-photon microscopic NADH imaging and oxygen sensor microelectrodes in live mouse cortex, we find that CSD is linked to severe hypoxia and marked neuronal swelling that can last up to several minutes. Changes in dendritic structures and loss of spines during CSD are comparable to those during anoxic depolarization. Increasing O2 availability shortens the duration of CSD and improves local redox state. Our results indicate that tissue hypoxia associated with CSD is caused by a transient increase in O2 demand exceeding vascular O2 supply. CSD is a slowly moving wave of synaptic activity cessation and tissue depolarization first described in 1944 (ref. 1). The mechanism of CSD wave propagation remains poorly understood2. Here we have observed the cellular events during the propagation of CSD using two-photon microscopy of exposed cortex of live mice3,4. Two-photon imaging and spectroscopy applied to NAD+ and its reduced form, NADH, provides three-dimensionally resolved, quantitative metabolic imaging in brain tissue with cellular resolution5. NADH is the principal electron carrier in glycolysis, the Krebs cycle and the mitochondrial respiratory chain. Only the reduced form, not NAD+, is fluorescent. Therefore intrinsic NADH tissue fluorescence serves as a sensitive indicator of the cellular redox state in vivo6. The technical advantages of two-photon microscopy enabled us to visually monitor tissue redox state, capillary perfusion and cellular morphology while a CSD wave passed across the field of view. Combining optical observation with electrical recording of tissue oxygenation, we found that CSD was associated with depletion of tissue O2 and marked neuronal swelling. Our study puts forward a new concept: that a hypoxic state can occur in the absence of reduction in cerebral blood flow under conditions of high energy demand. This observation may have direct clinical implications, as several lines of work support the notion that CSD constitutes the neurological basis of migraine with aura, and spontaneous waves of CSD may contribute to secondary injury in stroke and traumatic brain injury7,8. RESULTS Mixed pattern of changes in NADH during CSD Two-photon imaging of the exposed cortex of adult mice in vivo showed that intrinsic NADH fluorescence under resting conditions was evenly distributed and individual cells could not be outlined (Fig. 1a). Upon induction of CSD, massive and complex spatiotemporal changes in the NADH fluorescence developed. As the wave front of CSD advanced through the field of view, NADH fluorescence dropped –15.6 ± 1.4% (n ¼ 5) across the field of view. This initial decrease in NADH fluorescence was transient and followed by an additional decrease in NADH in small elongated areas with radii of 10–30 mm. The areas with reduced NADH fluorescence (dip) were surrounded by irregularly shaped zones of NADH fluorescence increases (overshoot) (Fig. 1a and Supplementary Video 1 online). These changes in the tissue redox state occurred along with a deflection of the local direct-current (DC) potential characteristic of spreading depression (Fig. 1b). Both the dip and the overshoot of NADH fluorescence were of large amplitudes, peaking at –19.1 ± 1.1% and +26.0 ± 3.5% of control values (n ¼ 5), respectively (Fig. 1c,d). The amplitudes of these CSD-associated NADH fluctuations were one order of magnitude larger than the modest 2–4% changes in NADH fluorescence evoked by physiological activity5, clearly indicating pathophysiological metabolic transitions during CSD. The transition between areas of NADH dip versus overshoot was abrupt within a temporal resolution of 2 s, giving rise to a characteristic pattern of dark areas set on a bright background of increased NADH. This heterogeneous pattern of NADH fluorescence change was followed by a uniform increase in NADH fluorescence across the field of view that lasted several minutes (Fig. 1a,c). Integrating NADH fluorescence signal across the whole imaging field (500–700 mm) revealed that the overall NADH signal first showed an initial dip peaking –5.5 ± 1.5% (n ¼ 5) followed by a prolonged overshoot (Fig. 1c,d), in accordance with earlier reports9,10. Because NADH fluorescence is an indirect measurement of tissue O2 (ref. 6), our next approach was to administer dextran-conjugated fluorescein-5-isothiocyanate (FITC-dextran) intravenously to outline the vasculature. Combined imaging of NADH and intravascular 1Center for Aging and Developmental Biology, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Rochester Medical Center, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Box 645, Rochester, New York 14642, USA. 2Discovery, Novo Nordisk A/S, DK-2760, Maaloev, Denmark. Correspondence should be addressed to T.T. ([email protected]). Received 8 March; accepted 29 March; published online 29 April 2007; doi:10.1038/nn1902 754 VOLUME 10 [ NUMBER 6 [ JUNE 2007 NATURE NEUROSCIENCE ARTICLES 57 s 60 s 63 s 66 s 69 s 72 s 60 Figure 1 CSD is associated with marked changes in NADH signal in cortex of adult mice. (a) Pseudocolored images of NADH fluorescence changes during the passage of a wave of CSD 50 mm below the cortical surface. NADH decreases (dips) are displayed in green-blue and NADH increases (overshoot) in red-yellow. Dashed lines indicate the wave front moving across the field. Arrowheads indicate areas with NADH overshoot. Scale bar, 100 mm. (b) LFP recording of the CSD wave in a. (c) Time-course relative changes of NADH fluorescence in dip (green), overshoot (orange) and integration of the whole field (black) of the CSD wave shown in a. Means and s.d. were calculated from eight areas of dip and overshoot in the field. (d) Summary histogram of initial peak NADH fluorescence changes (mean ± s.e.m.). b 40 20 0 –20 5 mV –40 135 s 30 s –60 Overshoot Whole field 20% Dip 30 s [ NUMBER 6 [ 30 20 10 0 –10 –20 –30 –40 FITC-dextran showed that each region with decreased NADH signal contained a capillary in its center (Fig. 2a). This heterogeneous pattern of NADH fluorescence changes lasted longer than local DC depolarization, with an average of 84.3 ± 1.9 s (n ¼ 15 events in seven mice) (Fig. 2b,c). Measurements of NADH fluorescence changes close to the electrode tip showed that tissue depolarization occurred 3.6 ± 0.7 s (n ¼ 15 in seven mice) before the changes in the NADH fluorescence signal (Fig. 2b,c). The characteristic pattern of NADH fluorescence dips and overshoots moving horizontally along the CNS surface is apparently CSD specific and does not result from reduced O2 delivery, because it could not be replicated by lowering O2 supply. Cardiac arrest resulted in a uniform NADH fluorescence increase, and anoxic depolarization was not associated with a mixed pattern of changes in NADH signal (Fig. 2d). Taken together, our results showed that the observed changes in local redox state upon CSD were a function of the distance to the vasculature: tissues located closer than 8–10 mm from a capillary vessel wall showed NADH dips, whereas those located further away showed NADH overshoots. The steep phase of tissue depolarization in the forefront of CSD waves preceded the characteristic pattern of changes in NADH signal, implying that the sudden demand for O2 reflected the intense increase in workload of membrane ion pumps responsible for normalization of ion homeostasis. A simple yet logical explanation for the observed pattern of changes in NADH fluorescence is that perivascular tissue with prime access to O2 increased the rate of oxidative metabolism and microwatershed areas located further away from the vasculature became hypoxic as a result of excessive consumption of O2 in perivascular tissue (Fig. 2a). In support of this idea, topical NATURE NEUROSCIENCE VOLUME 10 40 JUNE 2007 Whole field d Dip c Overshoot 105 s Fluorescence change (%) © 2007 Nature Publishing Group http://www.nature.com/natureneuroscience a application of high K+ (100 mM) induced DC depolarization and NADH fluorescence changes similar to those observed during CSD (Fig. 2d). Prior studies of CSD-evoked changes in NADH fluorescence, based on fluorimetry or conventional imaging techniques, lacked cellular resolution to detect the local dynamics. In these studies, NADH fluorescence was reported to show a biphasic response consisting of an initial decrease followed by an increase during CSD, as in our observations9–11. Dynamics of local perfusion during CSD One hypothetical explanation for the increase in NADH fluorescence in microwatershed areas is that local perfusion might transiently decrease as a result of swelling of astroglial endfeet. The rationale for this model is that astrocytes respond to high K+ with a rapid increase in cell volume, and swelling of pericapillary endfeet might compress capillary flow, resulting in local oligemia12. To test this idea, we quantified the local rate of perfusion by measuring arterial cross-sectional area during the passage of CSD4. Contrary to the expectations of this hypothesis, the arterial diameter increased after the onset of CSD, and this was followed by prolonged vessel constriction13 (Fig. 3a,b and Supplementary Videos 2 and 3 online). The vessel dilation lasted 101.3 ± 6.8 s (n ¼ 9 in five mice), outlasting the DC depolarization by approximately 30 s (Fig. 3b,c). Penetrating arteries showed a +50.7 ± 8.2% (n ¼ 12 in six mice) increase in their cross-sectional area, followed by a –16.9 ± 7.3% (n ¼ 10 in five mice) constriction compared with baseline (Fig. 3d). Veins also dilated during CSD and then underwent a moderate constriction, but the amplitudes of changes in veins were modest compared with those in arteries (+11.0 ± 4.4% and –7.3 ± 1.8% respectively, n ¼ 9 in five mice) (Fig. 3d). Line scanning with a temporal resolution of 2–3 ms showed that basal capillary flow rate followed a similar pattern to the dynamic changes in arterial diameter. A prolonged period of increased capillary flow with a duration of up to several minutes was followed by a relative decrease in capillary flow (Fig. 3e). Thus, continuous imaging of arterial cross-sectional areas and capillary flow rates contradict the idea that the NADH fluorescence increases resulted from transient oligemia. In accordance with previous studies14,15, our analysis indicates that CSD is associated with a transient increase in local perfusion that is followed by a prolonged oligemia. 755 ARTICLES a NADH Blood vessels Merge 255 0 © 2007 Nature Publishing Group http://www.nature.com/natureneuroscience b d 60 CSD 40 20 DC deflection 0 –20 –40 –60 5 mV 20 s Cardiac arrest before depolarization 100 50 Lag 0 –50 –100 20% Cardiac arrest after depolarization 100 50 20 s NADH dip and overshoot 0 Figure 2 The microvasculature determines the pattern of NADH fluorescence changes during CSD. (a) NADH fluorescence changes during peak depolarization (left panel). Intravascular labeling with FITC-dextran (middle panel) combined with NADH fluorescence imaging (right panel) shows that NADH dips strictly colocalized with capillaries. NADH overshoots occur in microwatersheds at greater distances from the capillaries. Scale bar, 100 mm. (b) Comparison of tissue depolarization and NADH fluorescence changes in the areas adjacent (o50 mm) to the recording electrode. (c) Comparison of the duration of the CSD-evoked DC depolarization, the duration of NADH dip and overshoot, and the lag between the onset of NADH fluorescence changes and the onset of tissue depolarization (mean ± s.e.m.). (d) The complex pattern of changes in NADH (dip – overshoot) is triggered by high K+ and not by reduced blood flow. The pattern of NADH fluorescence changes during CSD (first panel) is distinctly different from the uniform increase in NADH fluorescence changes evoked by cardiac arrest before (second panel) or after (third panel) the anoxic depolarization. Topical application of 100 mM KCl evokes a mixed pattern of NADH fluorescence dips and overshoots (fourth panel) similar to that seen in CSD. Scale bar, 100 mm. –50 c –100 DC deflection KCI–induced depolarization NADH dip and overshoot Lag 0 20 40 60 Time (s) 80 100 Because CSD has been reported to evoke an initial vasoconstriction in mice13, we next used laser Doppler flowmetry as an alternative approach to analyze changes in cortical blood flow during the passage of a CSD wave. We confirmed that an initial decrease in cerebral blood flow preceded the hyperemic phase of CSD (Supplementary Fig. 1 online). The early phase of CSD-induced oligemia was noted in mice anesthetized with isoflurane, with pentobarbital or with urethane plus a-chloralose (Supplementary Fig. 1), but was of smaller amplitude (5–10% of baseline) than previously reported13. The smaller amplitude of oligemia observed in our study may reflect strain differences. We used FVB mice, whereas previous studies employed SV129 or C57BL mice13. The hyperemic response during CSD averaged B110% of baseline in mice anesthetized with isoflurane and with urethane plus a-chloralose, but was smaller (B50%, P o 0.05) in those treated with pentobarbital (Supplementary Fig. 1). CSD is associated with severe tissue hypoxia An alternative explanation for localized increases in NADH (overshoot) is that the increase in blood flow is not sufficient to provide the additional O2 required for the restoration of normal transmembrane ion gradients in the wake of CSD. To address this question, we combined recordings of the DC potential with measurements of local tissue O2 tension (pO2) using microelectrodes with tip diameters of 3–4 mm (Fig. 4a)16. CSD caused a substantial drop (420 mmHg) in 756 tissue pO2 that lasted for a period of 125 ± 15 s, or more than 2 min (n ¼ 7 in six mice). The 40 hypoxic period was 56 s longer than the DC20 potential deflection, but recovered 92 s faster 0 than the electroencephalogram (EEG) activity –20 (Fig. 4a,b). The decrease of pO2 occurred –40 shortly (1.6 ± 1.4 s, n ¼ 7 in six mice) after –60 the onset of the DC-potential deflection (Fig. 4a–d). Most remarkably, CSD substantially decreased tissue pO2 to 3.7 ± 0.8 mmHg, from a baseline of 26.7 ± 4.1 mmHg (n ¼ 8 in six mice) (Fig. 4a,e). The decline of O2 tension during the passage of CSD has been reported both in early studies of CSD17 and in more recent studies9,11. Notably, the O2 electrode used in this study integrates pO2 in a volume with a diameter of B8–10 mm, and we were unable to compare pO2 in areas of NADH dips versus overshoots. To compare the O2 changes induced by CSD with those induced by anoxia, we next induced cardiac arrest by intravenous administration of a bolus of saturated KCl. Cardiac arrest induced changes in the DC potential with a similar amplitude to those induced by CSD (Fig. 4c). As expected, O2 depletion preceded anoxic depolarization by 116.1 ± 12.1 s (n ¼ 4), consistent with the concept that terminal depolarization is caused by ATP depletion18 (Fig. 4c,d). Upon cardiac arrest, pO2 decreased to 0.1 ± 0.3 mmHg (n ¼ 4), or to a state of complete O2 depletion (Fig. 4c,e). These studies indicate a fundamental distinction between CSD and anoxic depolarization: in CSD, tissue depolarization precedes the pO2 decline, whereas the order is reversed after cardiac arrest; in the latter case, a pO2 decline precedes tissue depolarization by approximately 2 min (Fig. 4d). Another difference is the characteristic mixed pattern of high-low NADH fluorescence triggered by CSD, but not by anoxia (Fig. 2d). To further investigate the relation between tissue pO2 and NADH changes during CSD, tissue pO2 was artificially increased by superfusing 60 VOLUME 10 [ NUMBER 6 [ JUNE 2007 NATURE NEUROSCIENCE ARTICLES 3 Figure 3 CSD is associated with a transient increase in local perfusion followed by oligemia. (a) Time-course images of cross-sectional view of a penetrating artery during CSD. Scale bar, 10 mm. (b) Comparison of DCpotential changes and vessel cross-sectional area during spreading depression. Gray lines 1, 2 and 3 indicate the times at which images in a were captured. (c) A summary histogram of the duration of tissue depolarization, duration of arterial dilation, and latency of onset of vasodilation and depolarization (mean ± s.e.m.). (d) Maximal vasodilation during the first 2 min of passage of CSD and maximal constriction afterwards in arteries (diameters 15–20 mm) and veins (diameters 15–30 mm) (mean ± s.e.m.). (e) Line scan images of capillary perfusion during the passage of CSD. The velocity with which erythrocytes pass through capillaries mirrors changes in arterial vessel diameters. DC Dilation Lag 0 25 50 75 100 Time (s) d DC 5 mV 20 s 1 50 µm 20 s Arterial crosssectional area 3 Dilation Constriction 2 e 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 –10 –20 –30 Artery Vein Max Before During After 0.33 0.42 0.24 mm s–1 mm s–1 mm s–1 Min when superfusion with aCSF was discontinued. Combined, these observations support the notion that CSD-induced increases of NADH result from a rapid increase in O2 consumption, which transiently depletes O2 supply in the microwatershed areas. the exposed cortex with 100% oxygenated artificial cerebrospinal fluid (aCSF). This artificial increase in tissue pO2 converted NADH fluorescence during CSD from the mixed pattern of high-low changes to a relatively uniform dip in NADH fluorescence. Thus increased tissue pO2 converted the overshoot in NADH fluorescence in a microwatershed area into a dip of NADH (Fig. 4f,g). Conversely, perfusion with oxygen-depleted aCSF (equilibrated with N2) increased the basal NADH fluorescence and resulted in an additional increase in the areas that showed an NADH overshoot (Fig. 4f,g). The effect of a CSD manipulating pO2 was fully reversible: the mixed pattern of high-low NADH reappeared Neuronal swelling and distortion It has been reported that during hypoxia dendrites experience swelling and loss of spines within minutes19. We reasoned that if CSD were associated with an episode of severe hypoxia lasting B2 min, CSD might trigger structural changes of dendritic processes. To address this b EEG DC 0.5 mV EEG 20 s Figure 4 Severe tissue hypoxia during CSD. (a) Combined measurements of EEG, DC potential and pO2 during CSD. (b) A summary histogram of the durations of EEG arrest, DC depolarization and drop of tissue pO2 (mean ± s.e.m.). (c) Changes in EEG, DC potential and tissue pO2 evoked by cardiac arrest. (d) A histogram comparing lag between onset of tissue depolarization and drop of tissue pO2 in CSD and in cardiac arrest (mean ± s.e.m.). (e) Comparison of changes in tissue pO2 before and during CSD, and after cardiac arrest (mean ± s.e.m., *P o 0.02, t-test). (f) NADH fluorescence changes during CSD are modulated by tissue pO2. Control CSD (left panel) gives rise to the distinct pattern of NADH dips and overshoots. Superfusion of the exposed cortex with oxygenated aCSF (middle panel) results in a relatively uniform dip in NADH fluorescence in the same imaging field. Superfusion with deoxygenated aCSF (right panel, equilibrated with N2) gives rise to a homogeneous increase in NADH fluorescence during the passage of a CSD wave. Scale bar, 100 mm. (g) NADH fluorescence in arbitrary fluorescence unit (AFU) before and during CSD in perivascular and distant area shown in f. In controls, NADH fluorescence decreases in perivascular areas (green lines) and increases in distant areas (orange lines). When the tissue is oxygenated, both perivascular and distant area show decreases in NADH fluorescence. Superfusion with deoxygenated aCSF increases the baseline NADH fluorescence, and CSD results in further increases of NADH in both the perivascular and distant areas. NATURE NEUROSCIENCE VOLUME 10 [ O2 0 5 mV DC 20 s d 100 Duration (s) e 20 CSD O2 c 20 s Cardiac arrest 0.5 mV EEG 20 s –60 –80 –100 20 s 20 15 5 0 Base 3,000 20 s f NUMBER 6 Control O2 Peak g 10 mmHg O2 25 10 –120 5 mV Cardiac arrest 30 –40 –140 DC 35 –20 10 mmHg 200 40 0 Lag DC – O2 (s) © 2007 Nature Publishing Group http://www.nature.com/natureneuroscience 2 Cross-sectional area (%) b Tissue pO2 (mmHg) 2 N2 100 50 0 NADH (AFU) c 1 CSD Cardiac arrest a 2,500 2,000 1,500 1,000 500 Perivascular Control O2 N2 Distant Control O2 N2 –50 0 –100 [ JUNE 2007 Base Peak CSD 757 a Before CSD b Before CSD 12 s 42 s Figure 5 CSD is associated with marked neuronal swelling and distortion of dendritic spines. (a) Dendrites of excitatory neurons expressing YFP (Thy1 promoter) showing blebbing and loss of dendritic spines during CSD. Arrowheads indicate the spines. (b) The blebbing and the loss of spines are unaltered by ventilating 100% O2 and are reproduced by topical application of 100 mM KCl. (c) Anoxic depolarization also causes a similar dendritic distortion. (d) Marked increase in cell body volume of YFP-expressing neurons during CSD. (e) A summary histogram of maximal area changes in cell bodies of neurons and astrocytes (mean ± s.e.m., *P ¼ 0.014, t-test). (f) Astrocytes loaded with the astrocyte specific indicator sulforhodamine 101 do not experience detectable increases in cell volume during the passage of a wave of spreading depression. A general decrease in fluorescence emission occurs concurrently with the tissue depolarization, possibly reflecting tissue swelling. Scale bars, 10 mm. 245 s KCI c During CSD Before anoxia Anoxia 100% O2 Before CSD 15 s 18 s 66 s 42 s 132 s 120 s question, we imaged dendrites in cortical layer 2 during the passage of a wave of CSD in transgenic mice expressing fluorescent protein (yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) or enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP)) under either the Thy1 or the Gad1 promotor20,21. Notably, dendrites showed various degrees of morphological change within seconds of CSD depolarization, ranging from no apparent changes to severe blebbing and loss of spines (Fig. 5a,b). Out of ten mice we studied, four showed severe—an average of 77.9 ± 7.0%—loss of dendritic spines during CSD. Additional analysis suggested that the blebbing and the loss of spines resulted from K+-induced depolarization rather than from hypoxia. Changes in dendritic structure evoked by cardiac arrest were intimately linked to anoxic depolarization (Fig. 5c). Dendritic structures remained normal for minutes after cardiac arrest, but showed marked changes concomitant with anoxic depolarization. Loss of spines after anoxic depolarization averaged 78.5 ± 2.8% (n ¼ 4). Exposing cortex to an aCSF containing 100 mM K+ (K+ replacing Na+) was similarly associated with the tissue depolarization and the loss of dendritic spines, averaging 78.7 ± 2.9% (n ¼ 3) (Fig. 5b). Increasing O2 in the breathing mixture from 21% to 100% during repeated passages of CSD in the same mouse did not reduce the loss of dendritic spines (Fig. 5b). Combined, this analysis indicates that loss of dendritic spines is caused by neuronal depolarization rather than reduction in tissue pO2 and may be mediated by the concomitant influx of Ca2+ (ref. 19). The structural changes in dendritic spines may contribute to the transient cessation of neuronal activity during CSD, which persists after the normalization of ion homeostasis (Fig. 4a). We also quantified volume changes in neuronal somas; the crosssectional area of neuronal somas increased by 23.1 ± 4.8% (n ¼ 8 in three mice), corresponding to a 37.1 ± 0.1% increase in the cell body volume during CSD (Fig. 5d,e and Supplementary Video 4 online). 758 e * 30 20 The morphology of most dendrites returned to normal after CSD, and neuronal cell bodies assumed their pre-CSD volumes within 0 8–10 min. In contrast to the marked swelling of neurons, the structural appearance of astro–10 cyte processes and somas remained essentially unaffected by CSD, with an insignificant –20 change in peak soma area of –2.0 ± 6.1% (n ¼ 16 in three mice), corresponding to a 0.9 ± 9.0% volume change (Fig. 5e,f). Thus, whereas neurons experienced extensive volume shift and structural changes during CSD, astrocytes remained relatively unaffected. These results indicate that tissue swelling during CSD is likely to be mainly neuronal. The rapid activation of volume-sensitive anion channels that are linked to efflux of amino acid osmolytes may limit astrocytic volume changes during the passage of CSD22. 10 Neurons f Before CSD Astrocytes d Cell body area (% change) © 2007 Nature Publishing Group http://www.nature.com/natureneuroscience ARTICLES Manipulation of tissue hypoxia by O2 inhalation Because hypoxia-induced neuronal injury is a function of the severity and duration of O2 depletion, we asked whether it was possible to reduce the hypoxia associated with CSD. In this regard, we note that hyperbaric O2 is used in the treatment of migraine with aura and more commonly in cluster headache23. We observed here that the duration of CSD was a direct function of O2 concentration in breathing air. Increasing the percentage of O2 from room air concentration (21%) to 100% shortened the duration of CSD by –24.0 ± 7.3% (n ¼ 5), whereas decreasing O2 to 15% or 10% prolonged the duration by +25.0 ± 8.5% (n ¼ 4) and +43.5 ± 13.1% (n ¼ 5), respectively (P o 0.01, analysis of variance; Fig. 6a,b). The amplitudes of DC depolarization and velocity of CSD were not significantly altered by manipulating the percentage of O2 in air (P 4 0.05, analysis of variance; Fig. 6a,b). Thus, the CSD waves were shortened in mice ventilated with 100% O2 and were prolonged by reducing O2 to 15% or 10%. In fact, hypoxia lowered the threshold for elicitation of CSD, and spontaneous waves of CSD were observed in many mice when O2 content fell below 8% (data not shown). Moreover, the NADH signal during CSD was sensitive to changes in the percentage of inspired O2 (Fig. 6c,d). With normal air (21% O2), an average of 24.5 ± 1.1% of the total imaging field underwent an NADH fluorescence dip, whereas NADH increased (overshot) in an area of 18.0 ± 0.8% (n ¼ 6) of the VOLUME 10 [ NUMBER 6 [ JUNE 2007 NATURE NEUROSCIENCE ARTICLES a b 60 100% O2 100% 15% 10% 5 mV 40 Percent change 20 s 20 0 –20 15% O2 d 100% O2 15% O2 Air e f 100% O2 10 mmHg 20 s Baseline shift 300 250 * 200 150 100 * 50 Percent area change c Velocity Amplitude Duration 80 60 40 20 0 –20 –40 –60 Amplitude (% change) –40 Baseline pO2 (% change) © 2007 Nature Publishing Group http://www.nature.com/natureneuroscience Air 100% 15% * * * * Overshoot Dip area area 0 100% Air 15% 50 * 100 150 Figure 6 The severity of CSD-induced tissue hypoxia is reduced by increasing O2 in breathing mix. (a) Traces depicting three waves of CSD in a mouse ventilated with 100% O2, room air (21% O2) or 15% O2. The duration of CSD, but not the velocity or amplitude, are inversely related to the percentage of O2 in air. (b) Summary of velocity, amplitude and duration of DC depolarization normalized to room air in mice ventilated with 100%, 15% or 10% O2 (mean ± s.e.m.). (c) NADH fluorescence dip (green) and overshoot (red) areas during CSD wave passage in a mouse ventilated with 100% O2, room air or 15% O2. Left panel, NADH signal in grayscale and vasculature in red in the same field during the peak of CSD with room air. The mixed pattern of high-low NADH signal is evident in the raw image. The recording electrode is located in the lower left corner. Scale bar, 100 mm. (d) Summary histogram of the relative size of NADH dip and overshoot area in mice ventilated with 100% and 15% O2 compared with dip and overshoot in room air (mean ± s.e.m., *P o 0.01, Dunnett’s test compared with room air). (e) Tissue pO2 in a mouse ventilated with 100% O2, room air or 15% O2. (f) Summaries of pO2 during baseline (resting) conditions, amplitude of maximal pO2 dip during CSD, and duration of CSD-induced hypoxia in mice ventilated with 100% O2, room air or 15% O2. All values were normalized to room air in the same mouse (mean ± s.e.m., *P o 0.05, Dunnett’s test compared with room air). 200 250 * with 15% O2 and shortened by increasing the percentage of O2 to 100% (Fig. 6e,f). Air 100% In summary, these observations indicate pO2 * that duration of CSD-induced hypoxia is an dip Air inverse function of the availability of O2 and 15% * 15% O2 that the tissue is capable of extracting and 0 50 100 150 200 consuming additional O2: the NADH fluoresDuration (% change) cence signal during CSD shifted toward a decrease, indicative of increased oxidative metabolism6, when the percentage of O2 was same field. When the percentage of O2 in air was increased from 21% to increased from 21% to 100%. The increased consumption of 100%, the NADH dip area expanded and the overshoot area contracted O2 resulted in a shortening of hypoxia and of tissue depolarization (n ¼ 6). Conversely, switching to 15% O2 diminished the relative area (Fig. 6a,f). Conversely, decreasing the percentage of O2 to 15% was of tissue undergoing an NADH dip and increased the overshoot area associated with a shift of NADH fluorescence changes toward an (n ¼ 5). Because the NADH fluorescence signal indirectly detects increase, reflecting a decline in oxidative metabolism and a prolongacellular O2 consumption, these observations indicate that use of O2 is tion of tissue hypoxia and depolarization (Fig. 6a,f). limited by vascular supply of O2. We also studied the effect of O2 on tissue pO2 in cortex during CSD. DISCUSSION When mice were ventilated with room air (21% O2), pO2 dropped The present study shows that CSD is associated with a more than 2-min from 26.7 mmHg to 3.7 mmHg during the passage of CSD, period of tissue hypoxia, massive neuronal swelling and temporary loss and hypoxia lasted an average of 125 s ± 15 s (n ¼ 7 in six mice) of dendritic spines. The tissue hypoxia was not a consequence of (Fig. 4b,e). As expected, the baseline pO2 shifted when the percentage hypoperfusion, because local blood flow actually increased during CSD of O2 in air was altered. When the mice were ventilated with 100% or (Fig. 3 and Supplementary Fig. 1). We propose that the drop in pO2 15% O2, tissue pO2 respectively increased to 237.0 ± 29.6% or reflects a period during which O2 consumption transiently exceeded decreased to 55.6 ± 6.7% (n ¼ 9 and 8, respectively) (Fig. 6e,f). vascular delivery of O2. During the peak of CSD, we have previously Because the resting pO2 was higher in 100% O2, the amplitude of the shown that extracellular K+ increases from a resting concentration of pO2 dip during CSD became larger (226.1 ± 22.1% that in room air). B3–4 mM to 60–80 mM (ref. 18). As with anoxic depolarization, the Conversely, the dip amplitude was smaller in 15% O2 (54.4 ± 7.1% loss of transmembrane ion gradients occurs within seconds. that in room air) (Fig. 6e,f). The duration of the CSD-induced pO2 Subsequent normalization of ion concentrations requires extensive decline followed a similar pattern to that of the direct-current (Na+ + K+)ATPase activity. Several lines of evidences presented here depolarization: the hypoxic period was prolonged in mice ventilated support the notion that O2 supply during CSD is insufficient and that 0 100% Air 15% NATURE NEUROSCIENCE VOLUME 10 [ NUMBER 6 [ JUNE 2007 300 759 © 2007 Nature Publishing Group http://www.nature.com/natureneuroscience ARTICLES tissue adjacent to arteries and capillaries consumes O2 at the expense of more distant tissue. The perivascular tissue with prime access to O2 showed a decrease in NADH fluorescence, indicating a shift of the NADH/NAD+ ratio toward NAD+, which can only occur with adequate O2 supply6. In contrast, NADH fluorescence increased in microwatershed areas, consistent with a shift in the NADH/NAD+ ratio toward NADH because of inadequate oxygenation to support increased aerobic metabolism. In parallel, tissue pO2 dropped from B40 mmHg to B4 mmHg. The depletion of tissue O2 was not a result of reduced supply, because capillary perfusion rate remained constant or increased during the passage of CSD (Fig. 3). In fact, the elimination of O2 supply by cardiac arrest was associated with a uniform increase in NADH regardless of the distance to the vessels (Fig. 2). The two-dimensional extension of the NADH transitions followed a wavefront and clearly did not reflect a cellular pattern. This further supports our interpretation that the underlying cause of the NADH transitions is predominately metabolic and not cell-specific pathophysiological responses. The results presented in this study further emphasize the applicability and suitability of intrinsic signals such as NADH for highresolution imaging of nervous tissue. Two-photon NADH imaging has previously been shown to be capable of spatiotemporally resolving activity-dependent metabolic transitions between neuronal and astrocytic processes within the neuropil of the hippocampal CA1 region5. The present study applies spreading depression as a pathophysiological paradigm to evoke extreme metabolic changes, which now reveals a clear spatiotemporal relationship between cerebral energy metabolism and the cerebral microvasculature (Fig. 2). Such phenomena can, of course, only be observed in the living, intact animal, where blood circulation and the spatial relationship between the vascular tissue and the neuropil is preserved. This further emphasizes the necessity of conducting metabolic imaging studies in vivo, if feasible. Aforementioned earlier studies9,10,24 using NADH surface fluorimetry have reported an early NADH decrease (‘dip’), which occurred during the peak of DC depolarization, followed by a longer-lasting NADH overshoot. Surface fluorimetric imaging has lower spatial resolution than our technique. Indeed, we found that by integrating and averaging our NADH fluctuations across the whole imaging field the response indicated an initial NADH dip followed by an NADH overshoot during CSD. The previous studies also showed that anesthesia can convert the initial NADH dip to an NADH overshoot in adult gerbils, but not in adult rats. Switching the anesthetic to pentobarbital did not alter the NADH pattern formation (Supplementary Video 5 online). Several anesthetics dampen the amplitude of local hyperemia, and can restrict O2 delivery and possibly revert the initial oxidative cycle to a reductive cycle25. Our observations indicated that small pockets of tissue located between capillaries were exposed to hypoxia despite a robust increase in cerebral perfusion during CSD. This local tissue hypoxia had a functional consequence, as the inverse correlation between O2 supply and the duration of CSD (Fig. 6) implied that O2 supply was the ratelimiting factor for normalization of extracellular K+. This finding raises the question of whether other CNS pathologies are associated with local hypoxia despite the absence of a blood flow reduction. Several other pathological conditions, including seizure, are associated with a sharp increase in energy demand and a reduction in tissue pO2 (ref. 26). More subtle mismatches in O2 delivery and consumption may over longer periods of time contribute to neuronal demise in neurodegenerative diseases27. Another new observation is that CSD is associated with severe neuronal swelling and the transient breakdown of dendritic structures, with an apparent loss of many dendritic spines. The marked changes in 760 dendritic structure observed may result from the neuronal depolarization in response to high extracellular K+ and are likely to contribute to the depression of EEG activity that accompanies CSD. Increasing O2 in air to 100% did not cause a notable reduction of the morphological alterations of dendritic structures during CSD (Fig. 5). Our observations confirm the original report that dendrites are most sensitive to hypoxic depolarization and show structural alteration within minutes of hypoxia28. The remarkable stability of astrocytic morphology during CSD is probably a consequence of the fast volume recovery in these cells. Astrocytes express a large number of volume-sensitive channels that effectively limit transient changes in cell volume by rapid efflux of small osmolytes, including taurine, aspartate and glutamate22. Several compounds can block the initiation of CSD, including NMDA receptor antagonists and gap junction inhibitors2, but attempts to define a chemical mediator of CSD have failed. Once a wave of CSD is evoked, its propagation is insensitive to a number of NMDA receptor antagonists and channel inhibitors29 (unpublished observations). It is therefore unlikely that a simple transmitter mechanism accounts for the steady propagation of CSD. The slow velocity of CSD implies that a diffusible factor may mediate its migration across cortex30. The wave of CSD advances as K+ in its forefront reaches the threshold of 10–12 mM, resulting in an abrupt decrease in membrane resistance and massive efflux of cytosolic K+ (refs. 18,31). Consequently, in an attempt to clear the high K+, the (Na+ + K+)ATPase exhausts the local O2 supply. Our data support the idea that the limited availability of O2 slows the clearance of K+. The inverse relationship between duration of CSD and the percentage of O2 in air indicated that O2 availability was the limiting factor for repolarization8. We propose that K+ diffusion32 in combination with tissue hypoxia is an essential component of CSD. As a result of hypoxia, extracellular K+ remains high for a prolonged (B70 s) period. We propose that the long-lasting increase in extracellular K+ is required for the continued propagation of CSD, because it allows K+ to diffuse forward along its concentration gradient, and CSD thereby to continue its propagation across cortex. Further studies will be required to establish the necessity of hypoxia for the propagation of CSD, and a key question for future studies is whether further increases of pO2 can abrogate CSD. Nevertheless, the inability to identify a transmitter system responsible for propagation of CSD does indirectly support the notion that K+ and hypoxia drive the forward movement of CSD. The ability of two-photon imaging to analyze dynamic changes in cellular redox state, cytosolic Ca2+, pH, cell volume and capillary perfusion on a microscopic level in intact adult mice is likely to prove useful in future examination of the neurovascular regulation. The observations reported here have implications for a number of neurological diseases. CSD-like waves are spontaneously elicited in stroke and head trauma33,34. Such depolarization events may have an essential role in secondary injury by recruiting additional tissue into the expanding ischemic or traumatic lesion35–37. In vivo experiments indicate that CSD-likes waves may be evoked at the infarct rim, probably as a consequence of the high concentration of K+ and glutamate within the ischemic core38. The propagation of CSD-like waves in the penumbral regions adds metabolic stress to the already hypoperfused penumbral tissue8. Therefore, tissue located adjacent to the ischemic lesion is unable to restore normal extracellular K+ after the passage of a CSD wave. The tissue remains depolarized and is eventually incorporated in the infarct. Moreover, recent observations have shown that CSD waves are commonly encountered in people suffering from acute head trauma: a total of 73 spontaneous CSD-like waves were monitored in six of twelve people studied37. These CSD-like events may contribute to directly to peritraumatic hypoxia, vasoconstriction and post-traumatic confusion. VOLUME 10 [ NUMBER 6 [ JUNE 2007 NATURE NEUROSCIENCE © 2007 Nature Publishing Group http://www.nature.com/natureneuroscience ARTICLES Several lines of evidence support the concept that the appearance and evolution of scotoma in classic migraine involves CSD39,40. Highfield functional MRI mapping of blood oxygenation level–dependent (BOLD) events during the auras preceding a migrainous attack show a close spatial and temporal relationship between visual scotomas and a self-propagating wave whose velocity and BOLD characteristics closely resemble CSD7. An initial focal increase in BOLD signals progresses contiguously and slowly across the occipital cortices of humans as they experienced retinotopic progression. Because progression of scotomas is temporally linked to an increase in the BOLD signal, the visual disturbances do not result from ischemia7. Based on the observations reported here, we suggest that migraine aura, which includes visual defects or black spots, is the clinical manifestation of transient focal tissue hypoxia resulting from insufficient supply of O2 during CSD. If so, the severity of metabolic stress associated with migraine aura is comparable to that associated with transient ischemic attacks, and the striking distortion of dendritic structures may be linked to long-term changes of synapses and cortical networks in those suffering from repeated migraine attacks. Migraine is considered a largely benign disorder, despite the frequent impairment of cognitive performance during and after headaches and, less commonly, of sensorimotor function in hemiplegic migraine41,42. Subtle but significant deficits in memory, reaction time and attention in migraineurs have been noted in some, but not in other, studies43,44. Moreover, long-lasting dysfunction of contrast discrimination, color perception, prolonged visual evoked potentials and decreased visual field sensitivity have been noted in people with migraine45–48; all of these are compatible with the common involvement of the occipital cortex in visual aura and possible sequels of hypoxia during CSD waves. Given the probable dependence of aura on CSD, it is anticipated that prophylaxis, rather than pain relief, will benefit people with migraine in the long term49. METHODS Mouse preparation. FVB mice, 8–12 weeks old, of either sex (Taconic), fasted overnight, were anesthetized with ketamine (0.12 g per kilogram body weight) and xylazine (0.01 g kg–1) intraperitoneally. We made a craniotomy, removed the dura mater and glued a metal plate to the skull with dental acrylic cement. The mice were intubated and artificially ventilated with a small-animal ventilator (SAAR-830, CWE). We poured NaCl 0.9% solution containing 1% agarose (37 1C) on the cranial window glued a glass coverslip to the metal plate. Body temperature, mean arterial blood pressure and blood gas were monitored and maintained as previously described3,4. In experiments involving manipulation of pO2 tension, we left the dura intact and superfused the exposed cortex with artificial cerebrospinal fluid (aCSF). FITC-dextran (Sigma), 2,000 kDa, was intravenously administered as previously described to outline the vasculature. We chose for study arteries and veins with diameters of 15–20 mm and 15–30 mm, respectively4. Cortical spreading depression was evoked by pressureinjecting 1 M KCl through a micropipette (tip diameter 2–3 mm) into cortex at 100–300 mm depth and 2–3 mm away from the imaging field (Picospritzer, Parker). All experiments were approved by the Institution Animal Care and Use Committee of University of Rochester. In vivo two-photon imaging. After surgery, the mice were reanesthetized with urethane and a-chloralose (1 g kg–1 and 50 mg kg–1, intraperitoneally). Body temperature was maintained at 37 1C by a heating blanket (BS4, Harvard Apparatus). Blood gasses were analyzed with a Rapidlab 248 (Bayer, sample size 40 ml). We completed experiments only if physiological variables remained within normal limits. We used a custom-built microscope attached to a Ti:sapphire laser (Tsunami, Spectra-Physics) and a scanning box (FV300, Olympus) using Fluoview software and a 20 objective (0.95 numerical aperture, Olympus) for two-photon imaging. NADH was detected with 740 nm excitation and an emission filter of either 460 nm emission filter with 50 nm bandwidth, or BGG22 colored glass. FITC-dextran was simultaneously NATURE NEUROSCIENCE VOLUME 10 [ NUMBER 6 [ JUNE 2007 detected with a 515 nm emission filter with 50 nm bandwidth. We quantified the acquired images with ImageJ (NIH) software and analyzed pseudocolor images of NADH fluorescence changes using custom programs in Matlab (MathWorks, Inc.)5. For noise suppression, all images were filtered using a rotationally symmetric gaussian filter with a size of 5 pixels and an s.d. of 1. The baseline image was numerically constructed as the average image of the last six images before induction of CSD. For each pixel, the pixel intensity values of the NADH fluorescence changes after induction of CSD were subtracted from the pixel intensity values of the baseline image. The resulting differential images were pseudocolored using colormaps ranging from –60 to 60 or from –100 to 100 pixels. Electrophysiological recording. DC potential was recorded by a patch pipette (TW150F-4, WPI; outer diameter, 1.5 mm; inner diameter, 1.12 mm; tip diameter, 2–3 mm), containing 1% FITC-dextran (20 kDa, Sigma) in 0.9% NaCl. LFP signals were amplified at 0–1,000 Hz and digitized at 10 kHz. For EEG, signals were further bandpass-filtered at 1–100 Hz. We measured tissue pO2 using a modified Clark-type polarographic oxygen microelectrode with a guard cathode for ptissue (3–4 mm tip; Unisense). We calibrated the electrode before and after each experiment using distilled H2O equilibrated with 8% O2 balanced with N2; air; 100% N2; and using a reductant solution of 0.1 M ascorbate and NaOH. Quantification of volume changes in neurons and astrocytes. To visualize neurons, we used transgenic mice expressing YFP in excitatory neurons under the Thy1 promoter20 or expressing eGFP in interneurons under the Gad1 promoter21. YFP and eGFP were both excited at 910 nm and emission collected with a 515 nm emission filter with 50 nm bandwidth. The data from Thy1-YFP and Gad1-eGFP mice were pooled, as no differences were noted. Astrocytes were visualized by sulforhodamine 101 loading50. The volume of the cell bodies was calculated as area3/2. Laser Doppler flowmetry. Relative change in local perfusion was detected by laser Doppler flowmetry (PF5010 Laser Doppler Perfusion Module with a microtip, PR 418-1, Perimed). The DC recording electrode was placed adjacent to the probe. Signals were converted by a DigiData 1332A interface (Axon Instruments) with an interval of 200 ms and recorded with the pCLAMPEX 9.2 program (Axon Instruments). Note: Supplementary information is available on the Nature Neuroscience website. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This work was supported in part by grants NS30007 and NS38073 from the US National Institutes of Health and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (to M.N.), the New York State Spinal Cord Injury Program, The Dana Foundation and the Philip-Morris Organization. COMPETING INTERESTS STATEMENT The authors declare no competing financial interests. 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