Shrimp carotenoids protect the developing rat cerebral cortex against the effects of ethanol on cortical spreading depression.

Cortical spreading depression is a neural phenomenon present in several animal species. Spreading depression features, like velocity of propagation, depends on several chemical and metabolic factors, as for example, anti-oxidants. Here we studied spreading depression-velocity changes in weaned rat-pups born from dams treated on a daily basis, either during gestation or lactation, with a carotenoid ethanolic extract (30 microg/kg/day) prepared from shrimp waste (heads).