Dehydration and Traumatic Brain Injury: A pilot study of a translational rodent model of conditions in professional combat sports

Traumatic brain injuries are a widespread public health issue, with athletes being at an increased risk of traumatic brain injury, especially in contact sports. Dehydration and rehydration prior to use of a weight drop served as a model for conditions experienced by professional boxers in a rodent model of traumatic brain injury. Following dehydration, rehydration, and traumatic brain injury procedures, subjects’ symptoms were assessed using the novel object recognition task, sucrose preference test, open field maze, and elevated zero maze. There were significant effects of both dehydration and TBI on time to righting, and there was a significant interaction between manipulations on time to ambulation. During the Elevated Zero Maze, there was a significant main effect of TBI on the number of times subjects entered the open sections of the maze. Post-hoc analyses found that dehydration prior to injury served as a neuroprotective factor on time to ambulation, and that fluid intake resulted in significant difference in fecal boli produced by sham subjects but not TBI subjects. During the Open Field Maze, there was a significant interaction effect on fecal boli. Even with the small sample size of this study, these effects are notable with further research being necessary. Further research would also benefit from the inclusion of food restriction or exercise manipulations.