Figure 1
Experimental Design. Days are relative to GCRsim exposure, designated Day 0. On Day-14, animals were split into group housing and social isolation (SI) housing. On Day-7, socially isolated animals in the SI + HU group began hindlimb unloading (HU). GCRsim dose (0 cGy or 50 cGy) was delivered in one exposure on Day 0. All animals were loaded into the beam line housing array for dose delivery. SI + HU animals remained in hindlimb unloading posture. On Day 11, SI + HU animals were reloaded, and given a recovery period before being shipped from Brookhaven National Lab to UCSF. Blood was collected by tail vein on Day 17, and behavioral testing began with the Balance Beam on Day 24. Behavioral testing continued with EPM, Three Chamber Social Approach, Open Field, NOR, and RAWM, concluding around Day 100. Animals were euthanized around Day 126–140, and blood was collected by cardiac puncture for analysis. Created with BioRender.com.
