# Defining the remote effects of cortical spreading depolarizations on hippocampus after traumatic brain injury

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI · 2024 · $61,560

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Over 223,000 patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) are hospitalized in the United States annually, with
more than 166 deaths each day. It has been demonstrated over the past two decades of clinical research that
cortical spreading depolarizations (CSDs), also known as “brain tsunamis,” are waves of electrical activity that
occur in 60% of patients with TBI. CSDs are waves of massive neuronal depolarization that cause periods of
electrical silencing and are independently associated with worse 6-month outcomes in TBI patients. It is
unknown whether CSDs cause damage beyond the area of local cortical spread, and it is unknown how CSDs
cause poor outcomes after TBI. We hypothesize that CSDs disrupt connections between the cortex and
hippocampus and hence contribute to poor cognitive outcomes. We will test this hypothesis in an experimental
model of TBI and CSDs. We will define CSDs effects on axonal pathology and synaptic connections.
Understanding how CSDs influence local and remote brain connectivity will provide insight into how CSDs after
TBI may contribute to poor outcomes. Additionally, this project will allow Ms. Bishop to develop critical thinking
skills, advance her scientific knowledge, and help her reach her career goal of being a physician-scientist.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11036042
- **Project number:** 3R01NS129922-02S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI
- **Principal Investigator:** LAURA Benjamin NGWENYA
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $61,560
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2024-05-20 → 2025-05-19

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11036042

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11036042, Defining the remote effects of cortical spreading depolarizations on hippocampus after traumatic brain injury (3R01NS129922-02S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11036042. Licensed CC0.

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