Fig. 2. Schematic diagram of the experimental schedule. Rats underwent cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) on experimental day 0. Details of experimental procedures are indicated in top part of the figure. Following recovery, they underwent neurologic function testing on the post-CPB days 1, 3, and 12, indicated by open arrows. Neurocognitive testing, using the Morris water maze to evaluate visuospatial learning, was also performed on a daily basis from post-CPB day 3.