Dataset for Stein & Harris 2026 "Detection and Quantification of Spreading Depolarization in <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i> using High-throughput, Wide-field Brain Imaging".

During SD, a breakdown of ion homeostasis and a slowly spreading wave of neural depolarization leads to processing deficits such as sensory disturbances and paralysis. Our protocols introduce high-throughput techniques using wide-field fluorescence brain imaging in <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i> larvae and adults to detect and quantify the spatial and temporal dynamics of SD and its initiation points.

Two SD initiation techniques, rapid cooling and pharmacological manipulation, are detailed. The larval protocols describe how to elicit, detect, and quantify SD in up to 16 animals simultaneously in either intact or dissected preparations. The adult SD protocols describe the detailed steps to elicit, detect and quantify SD in either fully intact animals or after microdissection that enables high resolution imaging of the brain.