Delayed sodium pyruvate treatment improves working memory following experimental traumatic brain injury

▶ A plus-maze test detects onset and recovery of spatial working memory deficits after TBI. ▶ Pre-trial pyruvate treatment attenuates cognitive deficits in rats with TBI. ▶ Cerebral glycolysis remains depressed 2 weeks after cortical contusion injury in the rat. ▶ Cerebral cytochrome oxidase activity recovers within 2 weeks after cortical contusion injury. ▶ Delayed pyruvate treatment did not affect measures of cerebral metabolism 2 weeks post-injury.