Fig. 5. Neuronal survival but not innervation is rescued in the vestibular system. (A) BDNF and NT3 expression in the vestibule during development and in adult animals. Both BDNF (red) and NT3 (blue) are expressed in the sensory epithelia during development, while only BDNF is expressed in the adult. (B) In P0 BDNF^NT3/NT3 mice, 60% of the neurons survived compared to only 16% survival in BDNF^–/– mice. At P17 half of the neurons seen at P0 were lost in BDNF^NT3/NT3 mice. (C-D) Sections of utricular maculae immunohistochemically stained with an antibody directed against p75^NTR (red) that specifically stains the afferents and with phalloidin (green) to visualise the hair cells. Scale bars: 25 µm in C and D. Only a sparse innervation that does not form calyces is seen in the BDNF^NT3/NT3 mice (D) compared to wild-type animals (C). ANOVA Fischer's ***P<0.001; ±s.e.m.

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