The study looked at how giving lithium chloride to older rats before surgery affects their memory. They divided the rats into three groups: one group had surgery without lithium, one group had surgery after getting lithium, and one group didn't have surgery. They found that the rats who had surgery without lithium had worse memory compared to the other groups. The rats given lithium had better memory and less inflammation in their brains after surgery. This suggests that lithium chloride can help improve memory in older rats after surgery by reducing inflammation in the brain.