title: Neural dynamics during anoxia and the "wave of death".
abstract: Recent experiments in rats have shown the occurrence of a high amplitude slow brain wave in the EEG approximately 1 minute after decapitation, with a duration of 5-15 s (van Rijn et al, PLoS One 6, e16514, 2011) that was presumed to signify the death of brain neurons. We present a computational model of a single neuron and its intra- and extracellular ion concentrations, which shows the physiological mechanism for this observation. The wave is caused by membrane potential oscillations, that occur after the cessation of activity of the sodium-potassium pumps has lead to an excess of extracellular potassium. These oscillations can be described by the Hodgkin-Huxley equations for the sodium and potassium channels, and result in a sudden change in mean membrane voltage. In combination with a high-pass filter, this sudden depolarization leads to a wave in the EEG. We discuss that this process is not necessarily irreversible.
authors.affiliation: Neuroimaging at MIRA-Institute for Biomedical Technology and Technical Medicine, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands. b.zandt@utwente.nl
authors.forename: Bas-Jan
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Zandt
authors.forename: Bennie
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: ten Haken
authors.forename: J Gert
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: van Dijk
authors.forename: Michel J A M
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: van Putten
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008959:Models, Neurological; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology*; D015221:Potassium Channels; D051381:Rats; D015222:Sodium Channels
chemical_list: D015221:Potassium Channels; D015222:Sodium Channels