Fig. 7.

Pre-existing impairment of meningeal lymphatic drainage worsens sepsis-induced cognitive dysfunction in aged mice. A The experimental timeline of surgery, behavioral tests, tracer injection into the cisterna magna, and tissue collection (sac). B Representative immunofluorescence images of OVA-647 accumulation in dCLNs. C Quantification of OVA-647 accumulation in dCLNs, n = 6. D Representative trajectory of each group in the FCT. E Quantification of freezing time in the FCT, n = 8. F Immunofluorescence staining was used to detect NeuN (green) in the hippocampus. G Fluorescence intensity of NeuN in the hippocampus, n = 6. H The expression of caspase-3 and PSD-95 in the hippocampus was detected by western blotting using specific antibodies. I, J Expression of caspase-3 and PSD-95 was quantified and normalized to GAPDH levels. The ligation + LPS value was then expressed relative to the sham + LPS value, which was set to 1, n = 4. **P < 0.01, LPS + ligation vs. LPS + sham. All data are expressed as the mean ± SD