During the probe, no significant sex ( F (1,57) = 0.358, p = 0.552) or TBI ( F (1,57) = 1.511, p = 0.224) effects were found for the percentage time spent in target quadrant, despite a trend toward significance in the sex × TBI interaction ( F (1,57) = 3.452, p = 0.068, Fig. 2B ).
In naive females, there was a nonsignificant trend toward lower NOL performance during high-hormone phases, consistent with previous reports of reduced spatial recognition during elevated ovarian hormone states. 13 This pattern was not observed after TBI or in any other tasks, suggesting that injury-related effects may overshadow more subtle hormonal modulation of cognition in this dataset.