Regional changes in tissue pH and glucose content during cortical spreading depression in rat brain.

After eliciting a single passage of spreading depression in rat brain cortex, regional alterations in glucose content and tissue pH were studied in relation to changes in cortical steady potential. Migration of spreading depression into non-invaded cortex was accompanied by a drastic decrease in glucose concentration and tissue pH which persisted longer than the transient depolarization of cortical cells. This delay in metabolic recovery is probably accounted for by severe tissue acidosis which results from the stimulation of anaerobic glycolysis.