AN EXPERIMENTAL ANALYSIS OF TIANEPTINE AS A TREATMENT FOR TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY

Abstract

This study set out to determine the effectiveness of using tianeptine as a treatment for traumatic brain injury (TBI). A controlled cortical impact model was utilized to induce a bilateral moderate TBI in the frontal cortex of the rat. Sham surgeries were performed to ensure an accurate control group. Rats received 30mg/kg tianeptine, or an equal volume of saline one hour following injury and once a day for nineteen days following surgery. Rats were tested for behavioral, motor, and cognitive deficits using the following tasks: Morris water maze (reference and working memory), foot fault task, forelimb use asymmetry task, open field task, and the passive avoidance task. As well, the brains were analyzed for differences in remaining cortical tissue following injury. Significant improvement was found in the Morris water maze reference memory task, the foot fault task, and the open field task for injured rats receiving tianeptine. Similarly, significant improvement was found in the remaining cortical tissue following injury in rats receiving tianeptine. Taken together, these results indicate tianeptine may be a viable treatment for improving recovery following TBI in rats.