Background Following one mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), there is a window of vulnerability during which subsequent mTBIs can cause substantially exacerbated impairments. Currently, there are no known methods to monitor, shorten or mitigate this window. Methods To characterize a preclinical model of this window of vulnerability, we first gave male and female mice one or two high-depth or low-depth mTBIs separated by 1, 7, or 14 days. We assessed brain white matter integrity using silver staining within the corpus callosum and optic tracts, as well as behavioural performance on the Y-maze test and visual cliff test. Results The injuries resulted in windows of white matter vulnerability longer than 2 weeks but produced no behavioural impairments. Notably, this window duration is substantially longer than those reported in any previous preclinical vulnerability study, despite our injury model likely being milder than the ones used in those studies. We also found that sex and impact depth differentially influenced white matter integrity in different white matter regions. Conclusions These results suggest that the experimental window of vulnerability following mTBI may be longer than previously reported. Additionally, this work highlights the value of including white matter damage, sex, and replicable injury models for the study of post-mTBI vulnerability and establishes important groundwork for the investigation of potential vulnerability mechanisms, biomarkers, and therapies.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2025 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.