Loss of GFAP and Vimentin Does Not Affect Peri-Infarct Depolarizations after Focal Cerebral Ischemia

Peri-infarct depolarization (PID), one kind of spreading depolarization, contributes to infarct volume enlargement after ischemic stroke. Astrocytes participate in PIDs by various mechanisms. The roles of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and vimentin (Vim), intermediate filament proteins in astrocytes, however, in PIDs induction and propagation remain unknown. Middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model was made in 9 GFAP(-/-)Vim(-/-) and 9 wild-type (WT) C57BL/6 mice. Using 4-wavelength optical intrinsic signal imaging (OIS), we identified PIDs as consistent, red and blue interaction waves in the cortical reflectance that slowly propagated peripherally from the origin site. Five propagation patterns of PIDs were observed after MCAO in mice, namely, latero-medial, medial-lateral, rostro-caudal, caudo-rostral, and collision. Additionally, the frequency, propagation velocity, and duration of PIDs between GFAP(-/-)Vim(-/-) and WT mice were not significantly different (p > 0.05). Furthermore, no significant difference was found in infarct volume and brain edema between the two groups. In conclusion, the 4-wavelength OIS system allows acquisition of high temporal-spatial resolution color images for analyzing temporal-spatial characteristics of PIDs in detail. GFAP and Vim in astrocytes are not involved in PIDs after MCAO in mice.