Exploring how age and sex influence behavioral outcomes and neuroinflammation in male and female mice following mild traumatic brain injury using a closed head injury model, the radial arm water maze, active avoidance tests, and measures of GFAP, IBA1, dectin-1, and CD45

STUDY PURPOSE: The rising prevalence of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in older individuals, including mild injuries resulting from falls, highlights the necessity to examine age-related consequences and potential gender disparities in the response to TBI. While prior studies have shown a specific pattern of aging-related traumatic brain injury (TBI) characterized by increased glial responses and cognitive impairment in severe TBI models with open-skull injuries, it remains unclear if this pattern is also observed in mild closed-head injuries (CHI). This study investigates the effects of age and sex on the healing process in a mouse model of traumatic brain injury (TBI) caused by an electromagnetic impactor device. The study compares the recovery of male and female 4-month-old and 18-month-old C57BL/6 mice. DATA COLLECTED: We evaluated the righting reflex, body weight, behavior (using the radial arm water maze and active avoidance tests), and inflammation markers (GFAP, IBA1, dectin-1, CD45) in the neocortex, corpus callosum, and hippocampus. DATA USAGE NOTES: