Figure 1
Changes in the facial nucleus and facial nerve structure in WT mice following facial nerve axotomy. (A) The facial nerve axotomy in mice. The trunk of the left facial nerve was severed as it exited the stylomastoid foramen. (B) Neurons of the facial nuclei stained with Cresyl violet over the course of the experiment. The area circled in white is the facial nucleus. (C) The number of surviving cells in the nucleus is shown in relationship to post-operative day (POD) 0, 1, 3, 7, 14, 28, n = 6. (D) Cross sections of facial nerves immunostained with myelin basic protein (MBP) (green) and β3-tubulin (red). The images on the right are enlarged views of the areas enclosed in white. (E,F) The number of axons (E) and myelin sheaths (F) per 1 mm2 of facial nerve sections in relationship to POD. Data are expressed as mean ± SEM. n = 5. *p < 0.05; **p < 0.01 as determined by ANOVA and post-hoc Tukey’s test. Scale bar, 100 μm.
