As a research paradigm (1) evaluated measures of animal performance correlated with markers of microglia activation and inflammation as they sought to see the effects of more focused radiation in two-month-old male athymic nude rats. The authors used intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and volumetric modulated arch therapy (VMAT) to irradiate the hippocampus either unilaterally or bilaterally. Treatment plans delivered a total dose of 10 Gy to either one or both hemispheres of the rat brain. Their data suggests that specific behavioral tasks could be reduced by focused radiation delivered to the hippocampus, and in unilaterally treated animals, the contralateral brain seemed to up-regulate repair mechanisms. This report provides additional information relative to the mechanisms of radiobiological effect using targeted radiation.