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Updated: Jun 12, 2026
Detecting Behavioral Deficits in Rats After Traumatic Brain Injury
Published on: January 30, 2018
Time-dependent behavioral recovery after pneumococcal meningitis in rats
Tatiana Barichello1, Geruza Z Silva, Jaqueline S Generoso
1Laboratory of Microbiology and National Institute for Translational Medicine, Postgraduate Program in Health Sciences, Health Sciences Unit, University of Southern Santa Catarina, 88806-000, Criciúma, SC, Brazil. tba@unesc.net
Abstract:
Alterations in hippocampus frequently occur following bacterial meningitis, despite antibiotic treatment. We investigated the cognitive performance in rats submitted to bacterial meningitis after 10, 30, and 60 days. To this aim, we utilized male Wistar rats submitted to either sham (control) or meningitis by Streptococcus pneumoniae, and followed by the initiation of the antibiotic treatment at 16 h after inoculation. The animals underwent six behavioral tasks 10, 30 and 60 days after surgery. We demonstrated that some of the learning and memory impairment, demonstrated 10 days after the induction of meningitis, persists up to 30 days, but not 60 days after induction.
Insights
Bacterial meningitis can cause lasting cognitive deficits in rats, impacting learning and memory. However, these impairments in rats treated with antibiotics significantly improve by 60 days post-infection.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Infectious Diseases
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Bacterial meningitis can lead to hippocampal alterations, even with antibiotic treatment.
- Cognitive deficits are a known complication of meningitis, affecting learning and memory functions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the long-term cognitive performance in rats following bacterial meningitis and antibiotic treatment.
- To determine the persistence of learning and memory impairments at different time points after infection.
Main Methods:
- Male Wistar rats were subjected to meningitis induced by Streptococcus pneumoniae or a sham procedure.
- Antibiotic treatment was initiated 16 hours post-inoculation.
- Animals underwent six behavioral tasks at 10, 30, and 60 days after surgery to assess cognitive function.
Main Results:
- Learning and memory impairments were observed 10 days after meningitis induction.
- These cognitive deficits persisted up to 30 days post-meningitis.
- Cognitive function showed significant recovery by 60 days after meningitis induction, indicating a time-dependent improvement.
Conclusions:
- Bacterial meningitis causes transient learning and memory impairments in rats, even with timely antibiotic intervention.
- Hippocampal function, as assessed by cognitive performance, recovers substantially by 60 days post-infection.
- These findings highlight the potential for recovery from meningitis-associated cognitive deficits.
