# Spreading Depolarizations and Brain Dysfunction Following Traumatic Brain Injury

> **NIH NIH K08** · UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI · 2021 · $202,014

## Abstract

Project Summary
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) affects 2.8 million people in the US annually, but despite the heightened
awareness and community interest in TBI, there are no effective interventions for TBI associated morbidities,
especially cognitive impairment. Interestingly, more than 50% of patients with TBI show cortical spreading
depolarizations (SDs) during their hospitalization. These “brain tsunamis” are a predictor of mortality and
morbidity after injury. Despite the fact that SDs occur often after TBI, the combined impact of SDs and TBI is
unknown. The present study will determine the impact of SDs on TBI-induced pathology, providing critical
guidance for targeted therapeutic intervention. Our overall hypothesis is that the occurrence of spreading
depolarizations after TBI exacerbates brain pathology and is especially disruptive of hippocampal function. We
will test this by inducing SDs in a rat model of TBI and addressing three specific aims. In Aim 1 we will
investigate whether TBI+SDs causes greater injury pathology and aberrant neurogenesis. In Aim 2 we will
determine whether SDs lead to deficits in hippocampal dependent behaviors and epilepsy. In our exploratory
Aim 3 we will conduct single cell RNA sequencing on hippocampal dentate gyrus cells to identify cell-type
specific molecular disturbances to guide future studies. The proposal will allow Dr. Ngwenya to learn new
experimental and analytic techniques that will aid in her development as an independent researcher and
position her to ask and answer the largest possible questions in translational neuroscience.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10093162
- **Project number:** 5K08NS110988-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI
- **Principal Investigator:** LAURA Benjamin NGWENYA
- **Activity code:** K08 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $202,014
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-04-15 → 2024-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10093162

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10093162, Spreading Depolarizations and Brain Dysfunction Following Traumatic Brain Injury (5K08NS110988-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10093162. Licensed CC0.

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