A dangerous liaison: Spreading depolarization and tissue acidification in cerebral ischemia.

ABSTRACT: Brain pH is precisely regulated, and pH transients associated with activity are rapidly restored under physiological conditions. During ischemia, the brain's ability to buffer pH changes is rapidly depleted. Tissue oxygen deprivation causes a shift from aerobic to anaerobic metabolism and the accumulation of lactic acid and protons. Although the degree of tissue acidosis resulting from ischemia depends on the severity of the ischemia, spreading depolarization (SD) events emerge as central elements to determining ischemic tissue acidosis. A marked decrease in tissue pH during cerebral ischemia may exacerbate neuronal injury, which has become known as acidotoxicity, in analogy to excitotoxicity. The cellular pathways underlying acidotoxicity have recently been described in increasing detail.

SUBMITTER: Farkas E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12000947 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature