Assessments of Cognitive Function Following Traumatic Brain Injury

Assessments for cognitive dysfunction in animal models of experimental brain injury are deigned to replicate the sequelae of behavioral impairments associated with traumatic brain injury (TBI) in clinic. TBI in humans results in a myriad of functional deficits. However, cognitive deficits, particularly memory and information processing speed, are the most prominent and persistent features following brain injury of any severity. Experimental models of TBI have replicated many of the pathological and cognitive outcomes observed in humans. The Morris water maze (MWM) spatial navigation test has been the standard assessment for evaluating spatial memory deficits following experimental TBI. The MWM has several advantages over other cognitive tests and has proven to be a sensitive task in different injury models, allowing for comparison of injury models as well as therapeutic treatments across studies. Several other cognitive assessment methods have been used to investigate other domains of memory impairment following injury. Although, the procedures for these methods have not been standard, they can contribute to the knowledge of the underlying processes of memory impairment following TBI.