Figure 1

Experimental design. Fifty adult male Wistar rats were intraperitoneally injected with either LPS (5 mg/kg in 0.5 mL) or PBS (0.5 mL). The 26 animals subjected to behavioral evaluations were divided into two groups (LPS, n = 14; CTR, n = 12) which were used for Elevated Plus Maze (EPM), Open Field with Objects (OF), and Morris Water Maze (MWM) assessments, respectively, at 7 days and 10 months following LPS or PBS injections. The remaining 24 animals that underwent brain cytokine analyses were divided into two groups (LPS, n = 12; CTR, n = 12) for the measurement of regional TNF-α and IL-18 levels at 7 days and 10 months following LPS or PBS injections.