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Review
. 2019 May 2;20(1):45.
doi: 10.1186/s10194-019-1001-4.

Spreading depression as a preclinical model of migraine

Andrea M Harriott  1   2 , Tsubasa Takizawa  1   3 , David Y Chung  1   2 , Shih-Pin Chen  4   5   6   7
Affiliations
Review

Spreading depression as a preclinical model of migraine

Andrea M Harriott et al. J Headache Pain. .

Abstract

Spreading depression (SD) is a slowly propagating wave of near-complete depolarization of neurons and glial cells across the cortex. SD is thought to contribute to the underlying pathophysiology of migraine aura, and possibly also an intrinsic brain activity causing migraine headache. Experimental models of SD have recapitulated multiple migraine-related phenomena and are considered highly translational. In this review, we summarize conventional and novel methods to trigger SD, with specific focus on optogenetic methods. We outline physiological triggers that might affect SD susceptibility, review a multitude of physiological, biochemical, and behavioral consequences of SD, and elaborate their relevance to migraine pathophysiology. The possibility of constructing a recurrent episodic or chronic migraine model using SD is also discussed.

Keywords: Aura; Migraine; Optogenetics; Spreading depression.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Triggers, modulators and consequences of spreading depression in experimental animal models
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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