Sickness behaviors following medial frontal cortical contusions in male rats

▶ Contusion injury to the medial frontal cortex produces acute changes in behaviors consistent with sickness behaviors (e.g., grooming, food intake, weight maintenance and exploratory locomotor activity) ▶ Sickness behaviors might not respond to exogenous progesterone (4 mg/kg) in male rats. ▶ Progesterone's influence on functional recovery could vary depending on the dose and time after injury when behavioral or anatomical changes are measured.