Electrophysiological Assessment of Cerebral Vasospasm

Cerebral vasospasm is chiefly due to sustained abnormal contraction of smooth muscle cells. Vasospasm develops several days after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) and resolves after 10–14 days. Electrophysiological techniques have been used by several laboratories to elucidate some of the mechanisms involved in experimental vasospasm, including roles of calcium, potassium and transient receptor potential (TRP) channels. The purpose of this chapter is to briefly introduce the instrumentation, materials and procedures for using electrophysiology techniques to study the functional role of ion channels and receptors in smooth muscle cells or potentially other neuronal cells in the brain that may mediate vasospasm and/or brain dysfunction after SAH.