Figure 1:

Description of the experimental setup, including the exposure of the model to HgCl2 and the composition of the experimental groups exposed to either NaCl (0.9%) or HgCl2; following a 60-day intraperitoneal injection period, rats underwent behavioral testing, including the Open Field test (OFT), Elevated Plus Maze (EPM), Forced Swimming Test (FST), Y-maze and Morris Water Maze (MWM) test; Subsequently, animals were euthanized and their hippocampi were collected for the evaluation of oxidative stress markers (lipid peroxidation (LPO), nitric oxide (NO) levels, and catalase (CAT) activity).