FIG. 1.

Assessment of injury severity, neurological impairment, and recovery in C57BL/6 wild-type (n=97) and Rag1^−/− mice (n=87) subjected to closed head injury or sham surgery, using a standardized 10-point Neurological Severity Score (NSS; A). A maximal score of 10 points corresponds to severe neurological impairment, whereas a low score of 0–3 points reflects normal physiological behavior. The ΔNSS (B), calculated as the difference between the NSS at 1 h and the NSS at any later time point, represents a parameter reflecting the degree of spontaneous recovery after TBI, as previously described. All data are presented as medians±standard deviation. No statistically significant differences were seen in NSS between head-injured wild-type and Rag1^−/− mice at any time point assessed. In contrast, head-injured Rag1^−/− mice showed improved recovery by 7 days, as reflected by a significantly increased ΔNSS at 7 days, compared to wild-type animals (p<0.01; TBI, traumatic brain injury).