Spreading Depolarizations and Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Cortical spreading depolarizations (SD) are strongly associated with worse tissue injury and clinical outcomes in the setting of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Animal studies have suggested a causal relationship, and new therapies to target SDs are starting to be tested in clinical studies. A recent set of single-center randomized trials assessed the effect of the phosphodiesterase inhibitor cilostazol in patients with SAH. Cilostazol led to improved functional outcomes and SD-related metrics in treated patients through a putative mechanism of improved cerebral blood flow. Another promising therapeutic approach includes attempts to block SDs with, for example, the NMDA receptor antagonist ketamine. SDs have emerged not only as a therapeutic target but also as a potentially useful biomarker for brain injury following SAH. Additional clinical and preclinical experimental work is greatly needed to assess the generalizability of existing therapeutic trials and to better delineate the relationship between SDs, SAH, and functional outcome.