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Abstract

Neuroscience

A Metric Test for Assessing Spatial Working Memory in Adult Rats Following Traumatic Brain Injury

Published: May 7th, 2021

DOI:

10.3791/62291

1Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Soroka Medical Center, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 2Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Mayo Clinic, 3Department of Neurosurgery, Soroka University Medical Center and the Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 4Department of Physiology, Faculty of Biology, Ecology and Medicine, Dnepropetrovsk State University

* These authors contributed equally

Abstract

Impairments to sensory, short-term, and long-term memory are common side effects after traumatic brain injury (TBI). Due to the ethical limitations of human studies, animal models provide suitable alternatives to test treatment methods, and to study the mechanisms and related complications of the condition. Experimental rodent models have historically been the most widely used due to their accessibility, low cost, reproducibility, and validated approaches. A metric test, which tests the ability to recall the placement of two objects at various distances and angles from one another, is a technique to study impairment in spatial working memory (SWM) after TBI. The significant advantages of metric tasks include the possibility of dynamic observation, low cost, reproducibility, relative ease of implementation, and low stress environment. Here, we present a metric test protocol to measure impairment of SWM in adult rats after TBI. This test provides a feasible way to evaluate physiology and pathophysiology of brain function more effectively.

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