Fig. 9

T. gondii infection severely impaired spatial memory but did not compromise motor coordination. Control and T. gondii-infected mice were tested in the Barnes maze for five consecutive days starting at day 60 post infection. The time taken by the mice to find the escape box (a) and the time taken to enter the escape box (b) are shown. n = 8–10 per group (control group: 4 males and 4 females; experimental group: 7 males and 3 females). c The total distance traveled, d the average velocity, and e the amount of time spent in the corners and in the center f of the open field during the 5-min observation period were recorded. Mice were tested once on the last day of Barnes maze testing. n = 8–10 per group (control group: 4 males and 4 females; experimental group: 7 males and 3 females). Data are shown as mean ± SEM. *p < 0.05, ***p < 0.001, **** p < 0.0001