1. Christine E. Kasper, PhD, RN, FAAN Dept. of Veterans Affairs & Professor, USUHS Graduate School of Nursing

2.  To determine the effect of acute treatment with minocycline, an FDA approved non-steroidal anti- inflammatory drug, on the functional and molecular outcomes of mild blast TBI.

3. For dorsal and ventral hippocampus:  Anti-inflammatory treatment with minocycline will improve the functional outcome in mbTBI  Anti-inflammatory treatment with minocycline will decrease cell apoptosis and reduce neural inflammation

5.  245-265 g male Sprague Dawley Rats N = 32 N = 32  Normal housing (2/cage)  4 Groups: Sham saline treated N = 8 Sham saline treated N = 8 Sham mincocycline treated N = 8 Sham mincocycline treated N = 8 Blast injured saline treated N = 8 Blast injured saline treated N = 8 Blast injured minocycline treated N = 8 Blast injured minocycline treated N = 8

7.  8 and 45 days post-bTBI: Locomotion: Open Field (OF) Anxiety: Elevated Plus Maze (EPM) Spatial Learning & Memory: Barnes Maze (BM)

11.  GFAP: CNS glia – Green  Caspase 3: Cell apoptosis – Red  DAPI: Cell nuclei – Blue

12. Ventral Hippocampus GFAP/Cas3, 10x a.Control Minocycline b.Control bTB c.bTBI Minocycline a b c

13. Ventral Hippocampus GFAP/ Cas3, 60x Ventral Hippocampus GFAP/Cas3, 60x a.Control Minocycline b.Control bTB c.bTBI Minocycline a b c

14. Dorsal Hippocampus GFAP/Cas3, 10x a.Control Minocycline b.Control bTB c.bTBI Minocycline a b c

15. Dorsal Hippocampus GFAP/Cas3, 60x a.Control Minocycline b.Control bTB c.bTBI Minocycline a b c

16.  Minocycline is effective in reducing inflammation and apoptotic cell death in the dorsal and ventral hippocampus following mild blast TBI.

17. Kasper Lab Dr. Andrei Blohkin MAJ Antoinnette Shinn CDR Stephanie Bardack Col Susan Perry Mohammad Elsayed Dr. Neil Grunberg VA Merit Award B5044R Dr. Denes Agoston Dr. Erzsebet Kovesdi Alaa Kamnaksh Dr. Farid Ahmed Daniel Wingo Dr. Joseph Long, WRAIR