Effects of Spreading Cortical Depression on the Incorporation of [¹⁴c]leucine Into Proteins of Rat Brain

Incorporation of dl ‐[1‐ 14 C]leucine into proteins of the cerebral cortex of the rat was measured during spreading cortical depression (CSD) evoked by a single topical application of 25% (w/v) KCI. Maximal inhibition (42 per cent) of the rate of incorporation occurred 1 hr after application of KCI. Spreading depression of 2–3 hr duration was associated with 22 per cent and 13 per cent decreases, respectively, of incorporation of labelled leucine. Specific activity of the free pool leucine was not decreased during CSD but appeared to be higher than controls at 20 min after initiation of CSD. The specific activity of the total free pool amino acids was also increased at 10, 20, 60 and 120 min after application of KCI. The inhibitory effect of CSD on incorporation of leucine into proteins was uniformly distributed among the crude mitochondrial, microsomal and soluble subcellular fractions from brains of adult animals, while in fractions from 25‐day old animals there appeared to be relatively more inhibition in the crude mitochondrial fraction.