Fig. 4. Effects of 4-h exposure to sevoflurane in young adult and aged rats on distance traveled during acquisition in the Morris water maze at (A and B ) 1 week, (C and D ) 4 weeks, and (E and F ) 12 weeks postexposure. At week 1 the effect of sevoflurane treatment on distance traveled in the water maze did not reach statistical significance (P > 0.05, ANOVA). At weeks 4 and 12, sevoflurane-treated rats traveled less distance than their corresponding shams (C , 4 weeks: **P < 0.01, and (E ) 12 weeks (*P < 0.01, ANOVA and Tukey honestly significant difference posttest ANOVA). There were no significant differences between sham or sevoflurane-treated aged rats (B , D , and F ) on distance traveled. Data are mean ± SEM. Weeks 1, 4, and 12: n = 10 rats per treatment group for young adult rats. Aged rats: week 1, n = 7; week 4, n = 7 sham, n = 6 sevoflurane; week 12, n = 6 sham and n = 4 sevoflurane-treated.