Fig. 1

Anesthesia and surgery induce significant cognitive impairment in aged mice. A Schematic timeline of western blot analysis and the Barnes maze test. B Representative tracks and heat maps of animals in the Barnes maze. C Mean latency in the training phase (F_(1,18) = 18.73, p = 0.0004. post hoc: day 5 p = 0.0059, day 6 p = 0.5989, day 7 p = 0.0773, day 8 p = 0.9999). D Time spent in the target quadrant in probe phase (p = 0.0394). E Average speed in the probe trial (p = 0.1087). F Total distance in the probe trial (p = 0.3378). n = 10 each. The data are presented as the mean ± SD, * p < 0.05; ** p < 0.01; *** p < 0.001; compared with the Sham group