Brain cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate during depolarization of the cerebral cortical cells in vivo.

Cyclic AMP (cAMP) was determined in that part of the rat cerebral cortex which was invaded by slow potential change (SPC) accompanying cortical spreading depression (CSD). cAMP was determined at various phases of SPC development and at several time intervals after SPC recovery. At maximum SPC, cAMP was increased by 100% above control and by 116% at the time of SPC recovery. Five, 10 and 15 min after SPC recovery, +54%, +34% and 0% increase in cAMP was found, respectively. The activity of phosphorylase a increased by 112% at SPC recovery (maximal cAMP increase), and by 13% 15 min later (complete cAMP recovery). Some depolarizing agents which differ in their ability to stimulate cAMP formation in vitro (veratridine, cyanide and glutamate) when applied topically onto the cerebral cortex in concentrations evoking CSD (2 mM veratridine, 10 mM cyanide and 100 mM glutamate), induced uniform increase of cAMP by about 100%. The same cAMP augmentation was found in the cortical region under maximum SPC induced by these agents.