Association of seizures with cortical spreading depression and peri-infarct depolarisations in the acutely injured human brain.

Objective: To test the co-occurrence and interrelation of ictal activity and cortical spreading depressions (CSDs) - including the related periinfarct depolarisations in acute brain injury caused by trauma, and spontaneous subarachnoid and/or intracerebral haemorrhage.

Methods: 63 patients underwent craniotomy and electrocorticographic (ECoG) recordings were taken near foci of damaged cortical tissue for up to 10 days.

Results: 32 of 63 patients exhibited CSDs (5-75 episodes) and 11 had ECoGraphic seizure activity (1-81 episodes).

Cortical spreading depression and peri-infarct depolarization in acutely injured human cerebral cortex.

Electrocorticographic (ECoG) activity was recorded for up to 129 h from 12 acutely brain-injured human patients using six platinum electrodes placed near foci of damaged cortical tissue. The method probes ECoG activity in the immediate vicinity of the injured cortex and in adjacent supposedly healthy tissue. Six out of twelve patients displayed a total of 73 spontaneous episodes of spreading depression of the ECoG.