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Post-Injury Administration of Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles: A Dose-Response Study

Hicks, Hilary J. and Jackson, Pamela and Willner, Jeffrey and Whiting, Mark Post-Injury Administration of Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles: A Dose-Response Study. 2013. Radford University, Thesis. Radford University Scholars' Repository.

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Abstract

Following traumatic brain injury (TBI), there is an excessive release of free radicals that trigger processes which contribute to cognitive and behavioral dysfunction. Cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeONP) can scavenge free radicals, so they were examined as a potential post-injury therapeutic intervention. However, there is debate regarding the adverse side effects that can result from interfering with free radical activity, so CeONP were administered to sham animals in order to monitor the behavioral effects. Long-Evans rats were administered a moderate TBI or were sham injured. Thirty minutes following injury, rats received an intravenous injection of CeONP or vehicle at a dose of .05 μg/g, .50 μg/g, or 5.0 μg/g. Motor function was investigated on post-injury days 1-5 using the beam balance task, and cognitive function was measured using the Morris water maze on days 11-15. Results from the beam balance assessment suggest that no dose of CeONP significantly alters motor function for sham or injured animals. Results from water maze testing suggest a pattern of differential effects of CeONP on cognitive functioning for both injured and sham animals. Specifically, injured and sham rats treated with .05 μg/g CeONP displayed trends towards impaired performance relative to their respective comparison groups. In contrast, injured rats treated with 5.0 μg/g CeONP displayed performance that was comparable to sham animals treated with vehicle. Sham animals treated with 5.0 μg/g CeONP showed trends of performance that surpassed that of their vehicle counterparts. These results suggest that CeONP may be useful for the treatment of TBI-induced dysfunction. However, some doses may impair behavioral outcome. Future research should seek to identify the mechanisms by which CeONP cause these differential effects.

Item Type: Thesis
Subjects: B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
Divisions: Radford University > College of Humanities and Behavioral Sciences > Department of Psychology
Date Deposited: 04 Jun 2013 15:58
Last Modified: 20 Apr 2023 18:11
URI: http://wagner.radford.edu/id/eprint/125

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