Fig. 5

Intratracheal administration of silica induces memory impairment in mice. Mice were tested 24 h (A–C) or 15 d (D–F) after intratracheal administration of saline (Ctrl) or silica (Si). Open field tests showed no difference between groups in total distance traveled (A 24 h post-instillation, D 15 d post-instillation) or time spent at the center of the arena (B 24 h post-instillation, E 15 d post-instillation) (A, B N = 7 Ctrl mice, 8 Si mice; D, E N = 8 Ctrl mice, 9 Si mice). C, F Memory performance was assessed in the NOR paradigm 24 h (C; N = 7 Ctrl mice, 8 Si mice) or 15 d after administration of silica or saline (F; N = 8 Ctrl mice, 9 Si mice). Data are expressed as mean ± SEM. *p < 0.05, one-sample Student’s t-test compared to the fixed value of 50%. Old = familiar object; New = novel object